Watching and Waiting
by Spiral-Fire
Summary: Kimiko is possessed with a strange force that only she can feel. But when Wuya finds out and Jack kidnaps her, Kimiko is forced into a predicament she never saw coming. Apparently a certain Heylin warrior has had his eyes set on her for world domination..
1. Chapter 1

**((A/N: Well! This is officially my first fanfiction. So, sorry if it's a bit childish and/or strange.**

**However, it should be less strange than those who kindly read and REVIEWED (which I love) this story before. I wrote it three years ago and, it was very cheesy and not well written at all. So, now I'm trying to rewrite the whole thing to fit my more mature writing.**

**Anyhoo, this is the first revised chapter! Yay! I'll tell you at the beginning of a chapter whether it's revised or not, so sorry if the quality of writing suddenly decreases. Please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Because I might just return the favor, and/or give cookies, recognition, or even write faster. And you know you want that.**

**Spiral-Fire))**

**Please note: This fanfiction takes place a little bit after Raimundo's betrayal. Chase Young DOES NOT exist yet. Maybe he'll show up in here somewhere…(hint hint)

* * *

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**Chapter One**

_All I could see was an eerie black mist. It surrounded me and blocked my vision, preventing to me from seeing anything that wasn't directly in front of me. Not that that was important: there was nothing to run into anyways._

_No ground, no sky, no walls…Just a great expanse of this smothering mist._

_I wandered aimlessly through it, a bit apprehensive but ultimately calm considering I was walking on nothing. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, but I couldn't feel my pulse. I assume this should have worried me, but for some reason, it didn't._

_An abrupt figure crossed in front of me, and I jumped backwards as I recognized the unruly hair of Jack Spicer. He was muttering something to himself and completely bypassed me. I'm not even sure he knew I was there, even though I had almost run into him._

_"Hey! Spicer!" I shouted to him, only to be met with a string of mumbles._

_"Wuya….Always makes me do the dirty work…I tell her I've tried it before, but no-oo…Now she's needed…Couldn't have just told me that before…Why can't he just do it if he's so great…Stupid hag…Have to build robots…Magnets? That might work…"_

_I blinked and didn't bother to communicate with him anymore. Somehow, I felt more uneasy after he had passed, and now I could feel a bit of my nerves acting up. I shivered and rubbed my arms. It was harder to breath now, and I tried to take a deep breath, but something inside of me was constricting my body tightly. I clutched at my stomach and almost kneeled over. A strange presence was taking over my body, and it was evil. Very evil._

_My knees buckled and I fell into the mist, putting a hand out for support for when I hit whatever was keeping me up. The force within me was stronger now and taking over my body. And I could do nothing to stop it._

_An unwilling gasp erupted from my throat as I looked up back into the mist. Far off, I could see the silhouette of a dark figure faced towards me. I couldn't see anything but the shadows of his body, and suddenly, the force intensified. My body was being drawn to the figure as I felt the same evil presence encompass me._

_And then, I was falling. The ground from underneath of me gave out, and I plummeted down through the mist. I was scared now, and I reached out in an attempt to grab on to something. Instead, a voice called faintly from above, and I snapped into action._

_"Kimiko! You're drowning! You're drowning! Swim!"_

_As if on cue, the coolness of the mist turned into water, and I found suddenly I wasn't falling any more. I instinctively started to swim to save myself, when suddenly large peals of laughter were ringing loudly in my head…_

I opened my eyes, and the laughter intensified. Something wet was sliding down my forehead and into my pillow, and I looked up to see a wet rag inches from my face. Quickly sitting up, I saw Raimundo laughing his head off with Omi and Clay right by his side.

"That was most amusing!" the shortest of the three laughed with childish excitement. I glared at the three boys as Raimundo continued to hold the rag above my head.

"What the hell are you doing? CUT IT OUT ALREADY!" I snapped loudly and swung my arm out. My fist caught Raimundo powerfully in the gut, and he toppled over into the wall, still laughing hysterically.

"Well, Kimiko, we all heard you yellin' in your sleep, and Raimundo here had an idea to tell you that you were drownin' in your sleep. Man, when he did that, you swam faster than a buzzard out to a buffalo dinner!" I glared at the abuser of the English language, Clay, and then focused my death glare on Raimundo. He grinned back at me.

Omi climbed onto my futon besides me and crossed his arms. "Yes, Raimundo's trickery proved most rewarding and amusing. I congratulate him for his fine jokes of practical use."

Groaning loudly, I kicked Omi off and pulled the covers back over my head. "Leave me alone…I want to sleep…" I mumbled into the pillow. My face was flaming red from my temper and a bit of embarrassment, and I didn't want the guys to see that.

_Was I really yelling in my sleep?_

The covers were pulled back roughly from my head, and I snapped my eyes open to see the perpetrator standing over me with the rag in my hands. "Actually, it's time to get up. Rise and shine!" Raimundo squeezed the rest of the water onto my face and I shot up on my futon.

"GET OUT!"

The males, knowing of my temper and not wanting to be attacked this early in the morning, scrambled for the curtain that marked off my room. As they slipped through the opening, I heard Omi say, "High up, my friends!"

"It's up high Omi," Clay corrected. I groaned and pulled the blankets back over my head.

* * *

I waited a few minutes after they left before getting up, grumbling angrily about my wet pillow and rubbing my eyes. It wasn't until I stumbled down the hall to the bathroom and splashed water on my face until I remembered the bizarre dream I had.

I couldn't have been yelling in my sleep…I never talked at all when unconscious. Raimundo probably just used that as an excuse to get me angry. Sighing, I looked into the mirror to see a slight dark shadow under my eyes.

There was a slight flash out of the corner of my eyes and I let out a gasp of surprise as the weird feeling from my dream returned to my body. I clutched my stomach with one hand and gripped the side of the sink with the other, feeling very uneasy. The pressure of it was forcing my down, but I stayed upright and tried to make sense of what was happening. My senses kicked in, and I could feel a new presence of apprehension and evil surround me.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the force left. I blinked and carefully stood up, feeling a bit queasy. I hadn't imagined that, right?

As I returned to getting ready for the day as normally as I could, I couldn't help but try to figure out what was going on. I had never felt anything like this before, and the suddenness of it all was a bit unnerving. After returning to my tiny room, brushing my hair into the usual pigtails and tying my apprentice sash firmly around my robes, I looked around and then left for breakfast.

As I walked towards the kitchens, I considered telling the guys what was going on. But then, I thought better of it. They (meaning Raimundo) would just tease me about feeling the force and make a few crude Star Wars jokes. I couldn't think of another way to describe it, and I doubt they'd believe anything was wrong. I mean, even I didn't think it was that big of a deal.

Having made my decision, I walked in to find Omi, Clay and Raimundo stuffing their faces with whatever they could get their hands on. Dojo was in my chair with a pair of reading glasses and a newspaper, drinking a cup of tea.

"Good morning," I replied as sweetly as possible. I could tell by the looks of their faces that they were trying not to laugh.

"Mornin'," Clay mumbled, halfway through a stack of pancakes.

"A most joyous morning to you, Kimiko! For today, we train with the Shen Gong Wu!" Omi replied, bubbling with his usual energy. I didn't have the motivation to tell him that we trained with them everyday.

"Good morning Kimiko," Raimundo replied, in the same sickly sweet voice I had used on them. "Get to breakfast alright, or did you have to swim a little to get here?"

Rolling my eyes, I smacked him on the back of the head on my way to the chair before pushing Dojo out of my seat. "Very funny, Raimundo. We'll just see who has the last laugh during training today."

Raimundo snorted and grinned at me. "Whatever you say Kim."

I glared back at him and smacked Omi's hand away from my chopsticks before settling down to what was left of the food. My day had officially begun.

* * *

As soon as breakfast was done, we walked to the vault with Master Fung to get the Shen Gong Wu. I took the Star of Hanabi, while Omi got the Orb of Tornami, Clay the Fist of Tebigong and Raimundo the Sword of the Sword: the usual. Then, after receiving instructions from Master Fung, we retreated to the gardens.

I paired up immediately with Raimundo, and we walked over to a relatively clear section before going into fighting stances.

"Ready to get your butt kicked?" he teased, flipping the sword around in his hands. I snorted and went into my own stance.

"The only way you're going to win is if Dashi came to help you, Pedrosa."

He scowled back at me and then summoned his element. "If you say so. Let's go then."

Raimundo slashed the Sword of the Storm, but before he could say its name, I yelled, "Judolette Flip- FIRE!" Instantly, he was knocked down from my attack as I felt the familiar warmth of my element fade away from my body.

Our training session lasted the whole morning, with me usually winning and Raimundo stubbornly asking for a rematch. We were on our third match now without stopping, since Raimundo was so intent on beating me.

I was about to use the Star of Hanabi when suddenly, that evil force returned. I gasped and straightened my back in surprise as the now familiar pressure encompassed my body. It felt stronger this time, and it would have overpowered me if I hadn't been ready. My body began to feel like a magnet, and began to pull me towards whatever was causing it, which at the moment was every direction around me.

Raimundo didn't notice my sudden discomfort, and took advantage of my hesitance. Before I could balance the force and our math, he yelled, "Typhoon Boom- Wind!"

A huge tornado-shaped gust of wind came flying at me, and I blinked in sudden panic. Without thinking, I went into a fighting stance and released my element.

I think what happened next surprised everyone.

There was a sudden large explosion of flame from before me as a huge wall of fire flamed from my fingertips. It went flying at Raimundo's tornado, engulfing everything that got in its way, which included most of the garden. Trees, shrubbery, the fountains-_everything-_ was suddenly surrounded by flame. I watched meekly as the fire reached his wind storm and all but destroyed his attack. A few loose flames spread to the neighboring trees, but the majority of the wall continued straight on to Raimundo.

He stared and gaped at my attack before the flames threw him off his feet and into the nearest wall. He hit the stone with a large crack and dropped, where he lay gasping for breath. The fire instantly disappeared, and I was left staring in shock at the destruction.

The force left with the flames. It had only taken me a few seconds to totally destroy the gardens and thrash Raimundo. After releasing my element, I had been knocked backwards a bit from the force, but now that it was over, I jumped up and ran as fast as I could over the debris to Raimundo. By now, Clay and Omi had stopped their match and came hurtling towards us.

"Oh, god! Raimundo! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" I was practically screaming at him as he sat up and rubbed his head ruefully, looking around with surprise at my destruction.

"Yeah, but jeez, Kimiko! Are you trying to kill me? What the hell was that?"

"I don't know! One minute I had everything under control, and the next thing I knew I had released all these flames! I didn't mean to do it!" Pausing thoughtfully for a moment, I furrowed my eyebrows and looked around. "Damn, it must have had something to do with that weird presence around. As soon as it stopped, my fire stopped too…"

"What feeling, Kimiko?" Clay asked, crossing his arms. "I don't feel anything."

I looked around at their unknowing faces, and frowned, feeling a bit uneasy now. "You mean you didn't feel it? That weird force that felt like you had to go to what was causing it?" I asked cautiously, but everyone was shaking their heads. "Like…" I continued slowly, fear slightly crawling onto my face. "Like you know something evil is around?"

"No Kimiko…We all do not feel such a force…But I am concerned, shall we tell Master Fung?" Omi piped up, who was currently attempting to put out a few remaining flames on the nearest bush.

"No," I replied quickly, feeling nervous. "I'm fine. It must have been my imagination, don't worry." They shrugged and set to work repairing the damage I had done. After putting out everything I had set on fire and cleaning up a bit of debris, which left the gardens relatively clean, the guys left for lunch and left me behind.

I sat down on the nearest block of stone and rested my head in my hands, staring at the damage I had caused. I was horrified by what I had done, but at the same time, I wanted to know exactly why I had that power. There had to have been a force: I knew I felt it three times now.

A cold breeze swept through the trees and I felt the tiniest sliver of the force return to my body. Looking up, I saw that the sun had gone behind the clouds, and a shiver ran down my spine. Something caught the corner of my eyes, and I turned around to look at a row of burnt trees. It must have been my imagination, but I swore I saw a shadow linger and then quickly disappear. Now I knew I was imagining things. Sighing, I slowly got up and began to walk back to the Temple for lunch.

What was happening to me?


	2. Chapter 2

**/A/N: This chapter has also been rewritten.\\**

**Chapter Two**

* * *

_I was in the black mist again, staggering through the heaviness of the air around me. This time, I wandered with a purpose, though I wasn't exactly sure what it was. All I knew was that I had to find something important…Something evil…_

_The mist was heavier this time, and I felt like I could hardly breathe. My limbs felt heavy and slow, and my eyes could barely stay open. Then without warning, the force returned, and I dropped to my knees. It was doing something to my body, and now the force seemed less of a threat to my Xiaolin instincts. The pressure of the force squeezed inside me, and I groaned as my element began to surface in a ring around me. I didn't remember summoning the flames, but now the force was feeding them, making the flickering flames rise higher and higher._

_I rose to my feet, only to have the force come stronger in my body. I felt almost numb with exhaustion, but I kept standing and instead looked around. The same dark, tall figure I had seen before was only a little ways off, behind a slowly moving cloud of mist. Although I could only see a shadows and nothing more, I felt the figure's eyes on me as he turned to face me in the mist._

_"Remember…" the figure whispered, in a cool male voice I had never heard before. He began to walk towards me, and I did the same, feeling mesmerized by the coolness in his voice. A warning bell went off in my head, but in my dream-like state, I totally ignored it. The pressure of the force intensified with every step I took towards him._

_"Powers…Great powers…" he whispered again. It was becoming harder and harder to breath, and I could feel my throat rasp from lack of air. The force was driving my body towards him and I suddenly couldn't control my body. My legs moved without consent, but I wasn't worried. I wanted to come closer._

_We stopped only feet away from each other, yet I still couldn't see anything but the silhouette of the figure. He extended a hand to me, and I felt my own arm rise up to meet his hand. My eyes were wide with wonder, and an urge to be as close as I could to the mysterious figure._

_Instead of brushing air, my hand fell into a large, gloved hand that was slightly warm. A shock of energy ran through my body as the force intensified so much that I tried to jerk away. But the figure held me, and I looked up to see only a pair of glowing golden eyes._

_Then, the mist was surrounding me so much that I couldn't see anything. The figure faded away without warning, and I was left alone with the mist pressing down onto me. I suddenly couldn't breath, and I clutched my throat, trying desperately to breathe in something. I was sure I was going to suffocate as I dropped to my knees, my eyes closing…_

"Kimiko! KIMIKO! You must make up! A new Shen Gong Wu has revealed itself!"

My eyes flew open to see Omi shouting a few inches from my face, while sitting on my stomach and shaking my shoulders. I cursed and pushed him off before pulling the covers back over my head. Great, two days with no sleep. This was definitely not my week.

"Kimiko! We must leave!" The annoying little cue ball yanked back the covers, and I was met with a cold blast of icy water.

"Argh! Alright, I'm up!" I shouted at him. Omi ducked away from my futon and made his way to the door.

"Meet in the Meditation Room," he said happily. "Raimundo and Clay are early invertebrates and have captured the bird already!" Omi slipped out of my room, and I groaned in frustration.

In record time, I grabbed my robes, got dressed, brushed my teeth and hair, found my cell phone and ran out the door. Hopping through the hallway while trying to pull my shoes on, I crashed into Raimundo who had just emerged from his own room.

"Whoa, Kim. Did you actually take a swim this morning? You're all wet!"

"Omi," I grumbled back, in response to my wet hair. "Shut up." I noticed he was already dressed in his robes, and looked like he had been for some time. Raising an eyebrow, I pulled my second shoe on and then faced him. "Wow, Raimundo. Were you practicing this morning? Because you know, no matter how hard you train, you just won't beat me."

Raimundo turned slightly red and I laughed, before running to the Meditation Room. "Just wait, Kimiko! Next time we train you're going down."

As we ran down the steps in the vault, Master Fung handed each of us a Shen Gong Wu. I received the Mantis Flip Coin and sighed, glaring at Raimundo as he was given the Star Hanabi. Obviously Master Fung wanted us to switch things up in a while. Clay unexpectedly got the Sword of the Storm, but Omi was given the Orb of Tornami, like he always did.

Master Fung handed me the scroll and shooed us away towards Dojo, who was waiting by the entrance to the Vault. He was scratching a nasty looking rash on his leg and looking irritated. "Hurry!" he shouted before he slithered out into the open. Dojo super-sized himself and we climbed onto his back before shooting straight up into the sky. "I'm getting a bad case of ShenGongWuitis!"

* * *

As soon as the ground was far below us, I pulled out the scroll to check what the new Wu was. The guys crowded over my shoulder to watch the little animation of a figure with a small dragon-shaped object.

"The Bronze Dragon," Dojo said, over the sound of the passing wind. "When you use it, you can control any fire, as long as the flames already exist. Something for Kimiko to think about…Maybe if we get it, she'll be able to keep her element under control."

I snapped the scroll shut and crossed my arms as the guys started to laugh. "Dojo, how'd you know about yesterday?!"

"It's obvious, Kimiko. Take a walk in the gardens, and everything is burnt! All of the trees have scorch marks on them, not to mention there's an imprint of Raimundo surrounded by ash on the Temple wall."

I rolled my eyes and scowled at the dragon, while Omi, Clay and Raimundo laughed harder.

"I'll show you control…" I muttered dangerously, raising my fist towards them which immediately burst into flame. "Want me to knock you off Dojo right now?!"

"Oh, now I'm scared," Raimundo laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "What are you going to do up here? Besides, you'd have to swim to get to me and-"

"Shut up!" I shouted back. "Once I'm done with you, you'll wish you could go swimming! I'll-"

"Hey!" Dojo interrupted. "We're almost at the Wu. I don't need any distractions."

We all fell silent and spent the rest of the trip watching the approaching land below us. It appeared to be the rainforest, and Dojo wasted no time breaking through the canopy to the forest floor below.

He landed at the base of the biggest tree I'd ever seen in my life, and quickly shrunk back into his normal size. "Let's see…Dashi and I buried the Bronze Dragon under a tree…It should be around here somewhere…" We set out searching for any glint of the Wu, until a flashy sculpture of a dragon caught my eye. It was half lodged under a root of a giant tree not too far away from us.

"There it is," I shouted to the others, pointing at the Wu. They all turned, and we began to make our way through the thick plants towards it.

Suddenly, the whine of what sounded like helicopters filled the air, and I looked up to see Jack Spicer descending from the tree tops. He was followed by a familiar purple blob, Wuya, and a hoard of his stupid robots. "Thanks Xiaolin Losers!" he called with a bit of an evil laugh. "The Bronze Dragon is now mine!" He began to fly with his Helipack to the base of the tree, where the Wu was now in plain sight.

"Oh no you don't," I muttered. "Mantis Flip Coin!" Within a second, I began to flip off the trees and large roots until I passed Jack, who was descending from the ground. He let out a girl-like scream and kicked up the speed of his Helipack, since I had easily passed him on my first jump.

At the base of the tree, I ducked under the roots and grabbed the Shen Gong Wu, when suddenly it began to glow. _Oh no…_

I looked up into the pale face of the self-proclaimed evil boy genius and sighed loudly.

"Sweet," Jack said, a lopsided grin on his face. Jack looked straight into my eyes for a moment too long, and I narrowed my eyes slightly in suspicion. "Kimiko, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown."

I glared back at him. "Name your game, Spicer." Jack looked around at our surroundings before back at me, the same creepy grin on his face. Something didn't feel right about him, but I ignored it and instead concentrated on the Wu.

"Tree climbing," he said, and I rolled my eyes at the originality of the showdown. "First one to touch the Bronze Dragon at the top wins. If you fall, you loose. My Third Arm Sash against your Mantis Flip Coin. So, what do you say Kimiko?" His voice was even more annoying than I remembered him from our last encounter.

"I accept," I said in a low voice. He raised his eyebrows at me and smirked.

_"Xiaolin Showdown!"_

At once, the tree we were standing next to began to grow. Looking up, I saw the tree branches and leaves getting thicker and thicker: the tree was getting harder to climb. After a few flashes of light, I found myself standing next to Jack, who had the sash wrapped around his waist. We looked at each other determinately, and at the same time yelled, "Gong Yi Tampi!"

Without hesitation, I shouted, "Mantis Flip Coin!" Flipping my self up onto the nearest branch, I looked up to see Jack rising quickly on his Helipack and immediately began to jump faster up the branches. The top looked so far away, and I could hear the guys yelling at me from the ground to do something, but I couldn't hear what. As I prepared to jump to the next branch, something curled around my leg and jerked me off the limb: Jack had used his Third Arm Sash.

Frantically, I tried to grab a hold of something as twigs and leaves whipped my face. I found that I had grabbed a branch and hoisted myself up onto a small limb barley big enough to stand with one foot on. I felt exhausted already and as I looked up, Jack was getting farther and farther away on his Helipack.

My head swam from the fall, and I rested for a moment against the tree before getting up. Just as I was about to use the Mantis Flip Coin, that creepy force was with me again. It was so powerful, even more than before with Raimundo and in my dreams. I suddenly was filled with an incredible energy. Quickly, I shouted, "Judolette Flip-FIRE!" I practically flew up the side of the tree, knocking away everything that got in my way.

My strength surprised me, and I tried to slow down, but the force wouldn't let me. Jack looked behind him to see me coming up- fast. He gave yet another high pitched girly scream and rapidly moved away so that I wouldn't bang into him.

_Coward. _I peered behind my shoulder to see him realizing what he had just done, and hastily try to get to the Bronze Dragon first. I was so close; it was almost in my hands once again. I could hear Spicer right behind me; his hands were outstretched, ready to grab the Shen Gong Wu. Jack's finger tips reached mine, extended an inch above when- I put on an extra burst of speed and grabbed the Shen Gong Wu milliseconds before Jack did.

There was a flash of light, and I was suddenly back on the ground with Raimundo, Clay, Omi and Dojo. The Third Arm Sash, Mantis Flip Coin, and Bronze Dragon were all mine. Smirking, I looked over to Jack to see Wuya telling him something. Her eyes seemed glassy, and she appeared to be relatively excited. I frowned: why would she be happy that Jack lost a showdown? Jack suddenly looked over at me, and I could feel him staring intently in the same manner that had worried me before. Slowly, I met his gaze and he quickly turned away.

By now, the guys had surrounded me, and were shouting congratulations in my ears. I paid them no attention for a moment, and instead kept watching the interactions between Jack and Wuya. She pointed at me, and Jack crossed his arms.

_"Fine,"_ I watched him mouth. _"I'll do it."_

At once, the force intensified, and I let out a sharp gasp. Clutching my body, I looked up to see Wuya watching me excitedly, her little mouth curved into an ecstatic grin. Her eyes were glassier than ever, and she suddenly looked up into the canopy of the trees, I with her. A thin, barely visible shadow darted across the treetops.

_"After fifteen hundred years…"_ she whispered. The force stopped abruptly, carrying away all of my energy that had helped me win the showdown. My vision blurred and I suddenly collapsed into Clay's arms, succumbing to an unknown cause of darkness…

* * *

I woke up just about the time that we were flying over Egypt. Groaning and opening my eyes, I looked up to see Omi holding all the Shen Gong Wu and peering at me expectantly.

"Ah, Kimiko. It is good to see that you have awoken." I blinked and looked around. Clay was whittling something behind Omi, and Raimundo was behind me. My head was in Rai's lap, and he was absentmindedly stroking my hair.

"Way too creepy…" I said, and sat up. "How long have I been out?"

"About half an hour…" Raimundo said, who had turned slightly pink. I blinked as I remembered Wuya and Jack, and furrowed my eyebrows.

"What happened after I passed out?"

"Not much. Jack flew off fuming and Wuya started yellin' about who knows what. So, we just grabbed all the Wu and took off," replied Clay.

"Oh."

"You did a most excellent job in the showdown Kimiko. Very well for a girl. But it must have been too much for you, with your weak female attributes and lack of upper body strength." Omi piped up. I turned to see he was reading his "Ancient Guide to Females" book and glared my death glare at him. Omi didn't notice.

"I'll show you upper body streng-"

"Hey, kids! Sand storm up ahead! Watch out and hold on, I don't know if I can avoid it!" Dojo interrupted. We could see a large cloud of sand only a little bit away, and it was getting closer and closer. Then, before we could prepare, it hit us.

Suddenly, sand covered blocked my vision and entered my throat as I tried to breath. The wind whipped my hair and the tiny grains lashed against my skin. I held onto Dojo the best I could, but suddenly someone behind me was trying to move forward. I faintly recognized the outline of Raimundo reaching for the Sword of the Strom, but he crashed into me instead. The impact of his body and the force of the wind made me let go of Dojo, and I felt my body begin to fall sideways. Someone tried to grab me and yelled something, but it was too late.

I felt myself falling, and faintly wondered when it would stop. That question was soon answered, since I collided with a dune of sand and kept rolling until I settled in a valley. Groaning, I felt horrible pains in my ankle. I must have landed awkwardly on it, since it was lying underneath of me. Tenderly, I reached out to touch it and pain shot through my body.

I fell back against the sand and tried to cover my face from the storm, but nothing could stop the little grains from attacking me. My ankle was killing me, and I knew without help, I wasn't going anywhere. It was impossible to look up and see if Dojo was still above me, so I just lay helpless and tried not to think about my ankle.

Suddenly, my body clenched up as the force began to come over me. I cringed and tried to sit up, but I could no longer move my body. Terrified, I realized I was paralyzed without reason. The force began to press down on me, until it was overwhelming. I heard what sounded like footsteps trekking through the sand towards me, and I tried to open my eyes. The sand instantly tore at my vision, so I snapped them shut. The footsteps stopped, and the force intensified.

_Someone touched my ankle_. I jerked my body as I felt a hand on my leg, but I couldn't see what was going on. The force became so strong that I thought I was going to split in two from the pressure, as the pain from my ankle slowly slipped away. Scared out of my mind, I tried to yell for help, or scream, or kick, or _something_, but I was still paralyzed.

Then, from above, I heard someone yell, "Sword of the Storm!" Wind whipped around my face and cleared the storm from around me. As I heard Rai's voice, the force suddenly left along with whatever had been touching my leg. I found I could move my body again, and I painfully sat up. Moving my ankle, I looked down at my slightly twisted limb and froze.

A black handprint slowly faded away from my skin, until all that was left was my bruised and battered ankle. I hesitated before touching the spot where it had been, and I felt a lot of horrible pains run through me. But none of them were as bad as before. Now I was scared, and I looked around nervously in case the person responsible for this was still around.

But I was entirely alone.

A shadow passed over me, and I looked up to see Dojo gliding down onto the dune I had hit. Raimundo held the Sword of the Storm, and jumped off as soon as he saw me. Clay and Omi followed suit as they ran down the dune towards me.

"Kimiko! Kim, are you okay?!" he asked. Rai knelt in the sand next to me and put his hands under my shoulders as I tried to stand up. The pain in my ankle intensified under the pressure of my body, and I gasped.

"I landed on my ankle and something happened….It hurts like hell, just get me home." I whispered. Wrapping my arms around the necks of Clay and Raimundo, they helped me limp over to Dojo. With the added help of Omi, they lifted me up and we began to fly fast home to the Temple.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**((A/N: This has also been revised.))**

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Dojo hadn't even come to a complete stop at the Temple when Raimundo, Clay and Omi carted me off of him, and towards the building where Master Fung usually was. I complained and told them I wasn't _that _hurt, but they ignored me, and I ended up being dragged most of the way.

Master Fung was drinking tea as we entered, and he rose immediately upon seeing the way I was being escorted in. Quickly, he drew up a chair, and I fell into it with a wince of pain. He bent down and gently picked up my ankle, and I shot forward towards him as shooting pains went up my leg. Raimundo pushed me back against the chair, and I glared at him while biting my lip. Raimundo smiled sweetly back.

"Your ankle is sprained badly," he told me in a calm voice, finally releasing my leg. I sighed in relief as he stopped poking and prodding, and giving me a lot more pain then I was sure was necessary. He walked across the room, picked up a small box, then returned to my side. Master Fung pulled a roll of gauze out, and I bit my tongue again as he began to tightly wrap my ankle. "However, if you stay off your feet for a few days, rest, and do not attempt to train, I am sure you will recover quickly.

"Ow," I commented in return, gripping the sides of the chair so hard that I was afraid I would break it. Raimundo snickered behind me, and I elbowed him in the stomach.

"Does that mean that Kimiko cannot train with us, Master Fung? Or find Shen Gong Wu?" Omi questioned, his eyes wide and shining with childish worry.

"Yes," Master Fung replied, finishing my ankle and standing back up. "The only medicine I can offer her now is rest, and that is her best chance of recovering quickly."

"I think I could use that after today…" I sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the chair. I attempted to stand up and almost fell over before grabbing the back of the chair for support.

"I recommend meditation," Master Fung commented, walking back across the room to his tea set. "Find your inner Chi and focus your energy on healing yourself quickly."

By now, Clay and Omi had wandered away towards the kitchens, and Raimundo followed them a little ways behind. I rolled my eyes and began to limp after them. _Some help they are…_

"Oh, Kimiko," Master Fung called from behind me. I turned to see him back at his tea and staring at me intently. "Is there, perhaps something you wish to speak to me about? Perhaps to do with your training studies, or the showdown today?"

I stiffened slightly but kept my gaze steady, feeling totally confused inside. He had to know about the force, otherwise he wouldn't be asking me….But how would he know?

"No," I replied slowly, faking a confused look to the best of my abilities. "There isn't anything…Why?"

"Very well then, no matter," he replied calmly. "Go and rest."

I blinked, turned around and then continued my slow trek to the kitchens. I could feel Master Fung's eyes still on me until I left the building.

_He can't know…_I told myself, frowning. _But…Should I tell him?_

* * *

The next day, my ankle was much less painful, and I could almost walk on it. But, it still hurt when you touched it at all, and I tried to move as little as possible. At some times, the pain was terrible, especially when I tried to walk on it with my full weight, so I was pretty limited as to what I could do.

So, I retreated to one of my favorite places in the Temple and tried to meditate. It was a small cherry tree, right on the outside of the Temple walls and totally away from all the noises of the other monks training. As I approached it, I noticed that the buds were about to blossom, and I smiled faintly. The tree reminded me of my homeland, and I knew I'd be able to concentrate a lot better here than in my room, where there were too many distractions.

Sitting down, I made myself comfortable and blocked out the remaining noises of the guys training from my mind. I didn't want to watch them at all, since I couldn't join them and fight. Already I was tired of lying around and doing nothing: I wanted to do something besides resting.

Sighing, I began to concentrate and closed my eyes. _Find your inner Chi…Focus your energy…Find complete relaxation…_Feeling slightly more energetic and relaxed, I began to focus my energy, and soon I was lost in a world of total ease and relief. It had been a while since I had last felt this good.

But, all good things come to an end, and it hadn't even been ten minutes before I was interrupted. A sudden noise began to blare overhead, disrupting my peace and concentration. Sighing angrily, I listened closer and heard a familiar whine of what sounded a bit like helicopters._ It's nothing…_I told myself, refusing to open my eyes. _Don't let it ruin your concentration…It's probably just Raimundo with the Sword of the Storm…_

But, the noise got louder and louder, and I made a note to personally hit Raimundo the next time I saw him. Then, it abruptly stopped, and I knew something was wrong.

I opened my eyes to see a pale face, freaky red hair and spiral goggles inches from my nose. Sighing, I rolled my eyes before closing them again.

"What do you want, Spicer?" I asked impatiently. "Come to steal the Shen Gong Wu?"

"Not exactly."

"Well, go home then! I promise not to hurt you on your way out."

"Oh, I will," he replied slyly. "And you're coming with me." My eyes snapped open, and I stared at Jack apprehensively.

"What?! Yeah right. And you suppose I'm just going to get up and walk away with you?" I snapped, immediately narrowing my eyes. I seriously doubted Jack Spicer, of all people, could kidnap me again, but I still was a bit anxious. The little nagging voice inside my head was yelling at me to run (or limp) away. Master Fung had warned me not to do anything too strenuous on my feet, and fighting an evil boy genius for my freedom fell under that category. I could barely walk, let alone fight! What the hell was I supposed to do?!

"I didn't think so…" Jack said, smirking as he pulled out his watch and started to press buttons. I remained in my meditation position and didn't move: he was probably just going to call in a couple of his lame Jackbots.

I was right: about ten of them flew in from nowhere. I was surrounded and outnumbered. _Damn._

"Jackbots- ATTACK!" Spicer shouted, pointing at me just in case the robots didn't know who to attack. Slowly, I raised my arm without turning around, and a Jackbot crashed straight into it, breaking into a few pieces. Shaking my head, I carefully stood up and went into a fighting stance without putting too much weight on my ankle. The Jackbots swarmed, and I summoned my element.

"Fire!" I shouted, flinging the flames at the robots. I looked around for Jack and found that the little coward had already fled the scene. He was probably watching from a distance so he wouldn't get hurt. Shaking my head, I looked up at the Temple walls and hoped someone would hear the robots.

But, with a slight shock, I realized it was almost lunchtime, and the guys would be in the kitchens by now. And no one would think to look for me, since I usually arrived late to meals, and with my ankle I would take even longer. _Damn it!_

My ankle began to throb as I fought the remaining robots, and I bit my lip in pain. I was trying to use my arms as much as possible, but I still had to move a bit, and that hurt. Grabbing the arms of a Jackbot, I swung it at two more, and they exploded with a shower of sparks.

Jack swooped low over my head, and grinned at me, then began to yell over the noise of his precious Jackbots being ripped apart. "Give up Kimiko?" he called, looking at me in a slightly disturbing way.

I narrowed my eyes at him: it was the same look I saw the day of the Showdown, and I still didn't know what he was planning. Well, obviously something that involved me, but what?!

"Never Spicer," I called back, destroying the last two robots left intact. "Is this the best that you've got?"

"Oh no. There's plenty more where that came from!"

"Bring it on!" I winced and kept my foot slightly elevated as I paused for breath. My ankle was really starting to hurt now, and I wondered if I could stall enough time for the guys to find me. Better yet, I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and began to text Raimundo, only to have a Jackbot snatch it out of my hand. "HEY!" I shouted angrily, looking around to see that I was surrounded again. "Give that back!"

"Kimiko, meet your match at last! Attack!"

I groaned and tenderly put my foot down on the ground before attempting to wreck the robots. _When on earth did this kid have time to build all these?_ In a few minutes, the last robot sputtered and died, and I stood triumphantly in front of the wreckage.

"Sorry Spicer," I called, crossing my arms and grinning back at him. "Your robots just aren't worthy opponents. Try to make some better ones next time, but for right now, I'm leaving."

Jack just kept on hovering by my tree and wearing that stupid evil smirk of his. I expected him to fly off, but he just stayed there and stared me down.

"Just you wait, Kimiko. They're better than you thought."

A slight movement to my left caught my eye, and I turned my head and froze. His robots had started to reassemble themselves, and now all twenty of them were very much alive and staring at me.

Oh, crap.

The anxiety I'd been holding back in the corner of my mind broke loose, and I found myself to be panicking slightly. My ankle was killing me, and I didn't know how much longer I could keep up. All my odds were against me: this would be a very hard battle to win.

The fact that I could be kidnapped by him sent a shiver up my spine, and I suddenly wished I had stayed in bed all day, or picked a place inside the Temple walls to meditate. Even dealing with Raimundo's snide remarks was better with this.

All my worries temporarily blocked my mind, and I found myself just numbly watching the robots fly towards me. Then, I snapped back to reality, and immediately went into a fighting stance. I took a deep breath, summoned my element, and yelled, "Judollete Flip- FIRE!"

Without thinking. I was so preoccupied thinking about what would happen if I lost that I didn't realize what attack I was about to do.

I realized my mistake just as I had flipped in the air and was about to kick a robot in half. A sharp bout of pain shot up through my feet, and I suddenly remembered my injury. But it was too late to stop now.

Incredible pain shot through me as my foot slammed into the Jackbot. My ankle gave out, and I let out a sharp shriek of pain. The robot split in half, and I crumpled to the ground, tears in my eyes. I barely had time to try and tenderly touch my ankle when I saw the mass of Jackbots flying straight towards me.

I tried to move out of the way, but the pain was too intense. Instead I put my arms over my head as the robots crashed down onto me. Suddenly, there were stars floating around my vision, and I could barely breath. Groaning, I let the tears fall as the pain became more and more unbearable.

The Jackbots were suddenly removed, and I found that I could breath again as I looked up at the sky. Suddenly, the light was blocked by Spicer as he leaned over me. His eyes lowered down to my leg, and I saw his eyes widen in surprise. He didn't know I was hurt.

_Serves you right,_ I thought grimly, trying to touch my ankle and failing miserably. The corners of my vision were turning to black, and I glared up at Jack with every strength I still possessed. He stared back down at me, then to the Temple, and back to me. "Touch me and you die," I hissed weakly, gasping from the pain.

Before I realized what was happening, Spicer clamped onto my arm, and suddenly a cool prick was against my skin. I winced and looked over numbly at Spicer to see him calmly staring back. A needle filled with what I assumed to be a tranquilizer was in his hand, and it was slowly entering my system.

"No…" I whispered frantically, my head suddenly heavy and vision fading faster than ever. Jack pulled the needle out and shoved it in his pocket before pushing a button on his watch. I could only stare numbly up at him as his robot with the straight jacket came down towards me.

Then, my eyes closed, and I was lost to the darkness.

* * *

Master Fung stared out the window grimly, watching a certain Heylin teenager carry away his dragon in training. He was the only one who had known what was happening, and had watched the fight from the beginning. She had done well, but, with her injury, not well enough.

He shook his head and sat back down as his table, where an open scroll was lying amongst the tea cups. Master Fung traced his finger along the characters before looking back out the window.

"Wuya knows," he said softly, shaking his head. " And Kimiko will be in more danger than before…If Wuya gets her way, the world will be in great danger when he finally returns…"


	4. Chapter 4

**((…Rewritten))**

**Chapter Four**

I don't remember a lot from what I assume was the next few days. I constantly had an awful headache, and could never see or think right. My brain was just a giant disorganized mess, and I was never awake enough to piece together what was going on. Instead, I suffered through what was quite possibly the worst sickness of my life. My body was burning up, but freezing at the same time, and I could barely think, let alone speak. Covered with sweat and my teeth chattering, I remembered a few vague moments of consciousness before my brain failed me again.

Several times, weird figures floated above me. I heard tidbits of conversation from them, but never enough words to have a coherent idea of what was happening. One of the figures kept coming back, and would often poke and prod and move me without my consent. I sort of could tell who it was, but I couldn't understand their true identity. My brain refused to follow anything, and I couldn't keep my thoughts together.

I had enough sense to tell that the pain in my leg was growing less and less, though I could still feel it a lot. Otherwise, I felt like crap. My eyes were always closed, waiting for what would happen next…

Then, I opened my eyes abruptly, blinking and staring up at a plain white ceiling. The fog and confusion was gone from my head, and I could think again. I felt almost normal, like I had just woken up from a very long nap.

…_Where the hell am I?_

Shaking my head, I pulled myself into an upright position and nervously looked around my surroundings. I was lying on a soft, narrow cot, with a black blanket stretched over me. It was the only piece of furniture in the room: it was plain and bare, with the exception of two doors. Nothing else.

Taking a deep breath, I swung my legs to the floor. A sharp bout of pain greeted me, and I winced as I looked down. My ankle was messily bandaged in black gauze. I froze in place, staring numbly at the doors across from me. Then, I sank to the floor, my head in my hands.

My memories from the fight had caught up with me, and I was slightly overwhelmed. I was a kidnap victim, and my kidnapper was Jack Spicer of all people! How could I have let myself be captured by him?!

_It wasn't your fault…_I told myself. _You were hurt. He…didn't know._

A sudden creak of hinges made me jump, and I looked up as someone dressed in black entered the room.

"Spicer?" I asked wearily, my hands curling into fists.

"Good, you're up," Jack replied, closing the door behind him. I glared at him, refrained from ripping him apart on the spot, and instead took another deep breath. "Here, I brought you breakfast." Jack placed a tray of food onto the cot, and sat down besides it. I eyed it suspiciously, even though my stomach was growling.

"Trying to poison me?" I asked rather cautiously. He rolled his eyes and stared back down at me.

"Nah, I already did that- It's just a joke, chill!" Jack added on rather hastily after I gave him a nasty look. I reached for the plate and took a small bite of whatever weird substance he had managed to cook. Jack watched me expectantly, and as I determined I was safe, he crossed his arms and leaned back.

"What did you do to me? Where am I? Why did you kidnap me?" I demanded in a rushed voice, ignoring the food for a moment. Jack sighed and sat up again, and I raised my eyebrows. "Jack, you kidnapped me for a reason. Do you think I'm just going to sit here and not ask-"

"I hardly did anything to you," he interrupted, rolling his eyes. "So calm down. Oh, and sorry about your leg, by the way. I didn't know. If I did, I would have been less…violent."

I glared at him and shifted my legs uncomfortably. Well, apparently he was going to kidnap me no matter what. That was…reassuring?

"Yeah…You had a few pretty deep cuts, so I found a first aid kit somewhere and tried to fix your ankle. Mom made me take a first aid course a while ago…I guess it came in handy," he said, smiling almost sheepishly.

I wiggled my ankle painfully and stared at him. Did Spicer actually help me? All my worries started up again, and I sighed in exasperation. What did he want with me?!

"Oh yeah…And the…um, tranquilizer I gave you had a pretty bad effect…You've sort of been really sick for the last couple of days, and if I didn't know what to do…Well, I'm not sure what would of happened."

I kept staring at him. Great, this day was getting even better. Jack had potentially almost killed me! But then again, he did help me afterwards.

…But he still almost killed me. That was reason enough to attack him right now.

Instead, I tried to take a deep breath. "Why did you help me Spicer?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly harm my prisoner, could I? If…If I'm going to trade you for Shen Gong Wu, you're going to have to be in, um, pretty good condition."

He sounded strained, and as he spoke, his eyes shifted nervously back and forth. I raised my eyes even higher: this kid was obviously keeping something from me. Jack definitely had something else on his mind besides trading me for Wu. Although I should have known that was all he wanted me for, he seemed a little…upset.

But, instead of questioning him further, I turned back to my food and tried to gag down the lumpy, cement-like oatmeal he had made for me. If I was going to escape, I would need my strength, since my leg wasn't going to help me. As soon as I was done, Jack took the tray and stood up, then looked back down at me.

"I'm going in my lab. It's the door on the left if you're bored…But don't expect to be getting out. All the doors have locks on them that only respond to my voice. Oh, and there's a bathroom through the other door…I left some things out for you if you want to take a shower."

I gingerly ran a hand through my grimy hair and looked down at my rumpled clothes. A shower sounded nice, and I didn't exactly want to spend any more time with Jack. By now, he had disappeared into his lab and left me alone. Sighing, I pulled myself to my feet and started for the bathroom. Hot water had always helped me think clearly, and I needed to work on escape plans…and soon. _Damn it, I'm a prisoner of Jack…again! Why does this always happen to me?!_

* * *

After I was done, there was a black towel and another black bundle of cloth waiting on the counter when I emerged. Blinking, I grabbed the towels and began to look around for my clothes. I didn't exactly want to put on the same dirty robes, but I didn't really have another choice.

But, my clothes were no where to be found. I had folded them and placed them on the counter top beforehand, and now they were gone, although my underwear was still sitting there and looking a bit askew. Keeping my towel firmly around my torso, I searched everywhere in the room until it was clear: my clothes were gone.

Scowling in frustration, I paced around the tiny room, wondering what I was going to do. I'm sure Jack, with his perverted sixteen year-old mind, would love to see me come out in just my underwear, or better yet, only in a towel. I sighed and turned back towards the door, just as a small note caught my eye. A small piece of paper was pinned near the doorknob; no wonder I had missed it.

Rolling my eyes, I snatched it off the door and opened it.

_Kimiko- I took your other clothes, but I'll put them in when Mom does the wash. Ashley left some of her clothes here, you can just were them for the meantime. They're on the counter._

_Jack Spicer, Evil By Genius _

My eyes wandered to the black bundle that I refused to touch on the counter earlier, thinking Jack left his own nasty clothes there. But…apparently it was for me. I crumpled the note angrily and set it on fire in the sink before turning back to the clothes. I shook it out and stared in horror: he'd left me a tight black shirt and a black miniskirt. My shoes had mysteriously made their way from the floor to the counter, but they were already black.

"Ew," I said weakly. Not only was Jack making me wear Katnappe's weird clothes, but he was the one who had left them, meaning he had been in the bathroom while I was in the shower. And I didn't even notice. Scowling, I began to get dressed, and nearly had a heart attack when I saw how short the skirt actually was.

At last I was dressed, and I fearfully looked at myself in the mirror: all I needed was red hair.

But, at least the clothes fit and I didn't have to wear my dirty robes. Shaking my head, I dried my hair the best I could and walked back into my room. It was time to figure out how to escape.

* * *

I poked and scratched and kicked and punched every square inch of that tiny room, and even tried several times to set it on fire. But everything, including the blankets, were unusually inflammable. Stupid Jack had obviously coated everything with something very resistant to my element. The room was built solid, and I was trapped.

But, the fact that Jack had thought of everything possible to keep me under control didn't bother me. Instead, I began to throw myself at the walls, in hopes of finding a weak spot or break one down. It was then that Jack finally came to see me.

I had just finished running into a wall and unfortunately, tripped over the cot when I heard the door open. My bad leg smacked into the iron legs of the cot and I hissed in pain, then stumbled forward…straight into Jack. He caught me in his arms, and I looked up in surprise. Then, I yelped and pushed myself away from him. Jack stared at me in amusement, until I nearly set the tail of his trench coat on fire.

"Hey! Kimiko, cut that out! I'm trying to work-" Jack stopped mid sentence as he stared at me, his mouth slightly open. His eyes wandered from my bare legs up, and I immediately tugged my skirt down farther.

"What?!" I snapped. He kept gaping at me, and I crossed my arms in front of my chest, feeling slightly violated by his wandering eyes.

"Huh? Oh. Stop making all that noise and trying to escape…It's useless anyways. But I'm trying to fix all the robots that you destroyed, and I need to concentrate, and I can't with you banging away on the-"

"I thought those robots could put themselves back together."

"Actually, I only super magnetized them so all the pieces stayed together. Past that, they're pretty useless."

Great, I had been defeated by useless robots. This day just kept getting better and better.

"…Never mind, just come with me. I can't trust you by yourself anyways." Spicer grabbed my arm and pulled me to his feet, then through the door to his lab. I stumbled after him, cursing his carelessness with my bad leg under my breath.

The lights dimmed dramatically, and I found myself standing in a room practically encased in black and silver metal. Robots whizzed around me curiously as Jack walked over to his huge computer and grabbed a chair. He pushed me down into it on his return, and I gratefully fell into the seat.

Then, I crossed my arms and gave Jack an amused look. If he expected me to stay in one place, he had something else coming. Jack glared at me and went back to fiddling with something on a medal table. As soon as his back was turned, I got up and started to silently limp towards another door, probably one that led to the outside door. Ducking behind a shelf of robot parts, I continued to creep until I could clearly see the lock Jack mentioned earlier.

But, he must have seen me get away, because suddenly Jack was in front of me and he grabbed my arms again. Jack dragged me back to the chair, despite my weak attempts to tell him I just wanted to see the robots up close, and sat me down in the chair. He then hauled me over to his work station, and I tried to touch my ankle, which was swelling because of his careless dragging.

"Sit. Stay. Do I have to tie you up? I really don't want to."

"Did you really think I was just going to stay in one place?" I yawned, crossing my arms and staring up at him. His freaky red hair was glowing in the limited lighting, like some oddly colored glow stick. Jack raised an eyebrow at my comment, and menacingly brought his watch up from his side.

"Do you want me to make you stay?" he asked, pushing a button. At once, the robot with the straightjacket flew by his side, and I cringed.

"Nah. I'm good." The robot flew away, and I inwardly sighed in relief.

"Good," he said back, taking out a wrench and beginning to bang away at some scraps of metal. I backed up a bit away from him. After all, he didn't seem like a very trustworthy person with tools, and I didn't want a dent in my head. Neither of us moved for a few moments, since I was waiting for the first chance that he took his eyes off of me, and Jack was intent on making sure I would stay in one place.

Then, the purple hag I was hoping wouldn't appear glided through a wall. "Jack!" she screeched, in that annoying, whining voice when she wanted something. "Jack you infernal boy! Where are you?!"

Jack looked up from his work and scowled. I watched him closely: I swear he had flinched at the sound of her voice. He fumbled with the metal in his hands before quickly looking at me. I raised an eyebrow: that was another sign that something was going on behind my back.

"What?!"

"Instead of playing with your useless robots you should be planning! Do I need to remind you that we do not have much time left to get the girl and- Oh! It's _her_," Wuya stopped abruptly, seeing me for the first time. She looked at Jack and he nodded. I glared at them both: obviously Wuya was the one who decided I needed to be kidnapped. _But what did she say about time?_

"You mean, you actually did it?" Wuya breathed, sounding slightly impressed. "Oh, well done, Jack, well done! You were always my favorite…" Her eyes grew large and she floated away, looking very please about the fact that I was a prisoner. I turned around in my seat, stared at Jack, and glowered.

"Jack, what the hell are you planning?! How long have you known about this?!"

"Only a few weeks. That last Shen Gong Wu really settled it though. I mean, as soon as Wuya saw-" Jack stopped abruptly and his face paled. "…I wasn't supposed to say that."

My own face paled, and I got to my feet. There was no way I was staying around to find out why they'd kidnapped me in the first place.

Maybe I was just exaggerating…but the force had started around the same time that Jack said he was planning. Coincidence? I didn't know, but if Wuya was watching me at the showdown…She had to have known.

"…That's it. I'm getting out of here." I began to limp away from Jack again, this time at a faster pace. I went to the closest door in view and miraculously, it opened. But, it was only a storage closet. Sighing in exasperation, I went to the next door. "…Let's see what's behind door number two…" Another bathroom.

Looking around, I saw the door that I had tried to get to before when Jack had stopped me. I was about to limp over to it, when suddenly Jack was behind me and had his hands around my waist.

"Get off!" I snarled, elbowing him as hard as I could. "Perv! Take your hands off of me!"

"No!" he yelled back. I could hear him fumbling with something in his pocket, while he had one arm around my waist. I was ultimately pinned, and as I tried to work myself free, Jack stepped on my foot. I let out a howl of pain and slumped over slightly. My first reaction was to kick him back, and being in my state of desperation, I forgot to use my other leg. The pain increased greatly and I groaned. Apparently, my leg wasn't completely healed yet.

I watched Jack pull a vial of some weird liquid from the corner of my eye, before whacking him in the chest with my elbow again. He made a muffled groan and tried to hold on. Spicer was surprisingly strong, and I suddenly felt ashamed that I couldn't get him off of me. If I couldn't defeat a lanky, pathetic guy like him, how was I ever going to escape, nevertheless become a full Xiaolin warrior?!

But, before I could get a hold on myself, Jack spun me around and I painfully tripped over my own feet. He was holding me just a little too close for comfort, and I stared up at him in surprise. His hands were digging into my arms. Creepy.

His red eyes met mine, and I flinched slightly, forgetting my struggle and instead worrying about what he was about to do. Spicer just started at me for a few moments, the same weird expression on his face that let me know he was struggling to hide something. I raised my eyebrows, trying to think of something to say that would coax it out of him.

But, he came back down to earth too soon, and Jack quickly brought the vial up to my face. Before I could react, there was a sudden, sharp metallic smell in my nose, and my vision blurred dramatically. My legs weakened and I fell towards the ground. Jack caught me and my eyes closed as I entered the darkness once again.

* * *

It was hours before Kimiko was found to be missing. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, and the monks immediately knew something was wrong. Even with her injuries, it was unlike Kimiko to miss two meals in a row and not tell someone.

Raimundo was the first to notice, and he quickly searched her room, the gardens, the vault, and any other place he could think of. Omi and Clay followed suit, but it was clear that she had disappeared.

They were forced to go to Master Fung, who seemed unusually preoccupied and silent through their hurried explanation. He sighed and stared out the window before looking up at the three boys gathered beside them.

"I believe I saw Kimiko heading beyond the Temple walls…Perhaps she has fallen asleep, or is in need of assistance coming back," he told them calmly. Master Fung knew perfectly well where she was, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

Without a second's hesitation, the monks ran to the tree where she had last been. The grass was littered with pieces of metal, and the trunk was splattered with what appeared to be blood. Clay picked up a piece of shiny metal and turned it over in his hand.

"They were Jackbots."

Raimundo narrowed his eyes, and stared towards the horizon as the sun sank behind the mountains.

"Spicer has her."


	5. Chapter 5

**((Rewritten))**

**Chapter 5**

Hours later, my head was spinning.

I groaned miserably and rolled over onto my side, clutching a thick black blanket overtop of me. My head felt heavy, and my mind was slow to follow anything that happened. Knowing perfectly well where I was and what had happened, I allowed myself to stay in the cot for a few minutes more. Then, I tried to get up.

I rolled over again, and this time, I fell off the cot. My bad leg knocked painfully into the hard floor, and I let out a low string of curses. My mind was beginning to clear, but the effects of the chloroform that Jack had used was still clouding up my system. I forced myself to my feet and staggered to the bathroom, cursing Jack the entire time.

_I can't believe I let myself get knocked out again. _Before I had complained that I needed more sleep, but this was ridiculous. In the past couple of days, I had probably passed out more than I ever had in my entire life. And although some of those times weren't necessarily my fault, I was still upset. Why couldn't I just stay awake?

I turned on the sink and splashed my face with cold water, hoping to wake up even more. As I ran my hands under the faucet, I began to hear murmurs of conversation from the other side of the wall. Frowning, I slowly turned off the water and listened as I grabbed a towel to dry my face. The voices became clearer: it was Jack and Wuya, arguing again. Sighing, I walked into the other room and sat down on my cot. Then, I listened.

"Wuya! How am I supposed to rule the world if I don't have any pudding cups?! Stop eating them!"

"I'm not eating them, you infernal boy! I'm a ghost! I don't eat! We've gone through this before!"

"Well, pudding just doesn't magically disappear!"

"It was probably that Xiaolin girl who ate them! She's the only other one around here who _can_ eat!"

"Kimiko couldn't have eaten them! She's been in her cell the whole time-"

"Of course. You would know if she had left, CONSIDERING YOU HAVE BEEN CHECKING ON HER EVERY FIVE MINUTES! I'm beginning to suspect that something is going on between-"

"Nothing is going on! I'm just over precautious! If she did get escape somehow-"

"She better not escape! Do you have any idea what that stupid girl means to us?! If she were to get away now, everything would be ruined! _Everything!_"

"I know, I know! We've gone over this a hundred times!"

"Then make sure she doesn't escape! Lock her up in chains, tie her to the bed, do something! If you mess this up, I will make the rest of your life a living hell."

"Fine! Maybe I will!"

"Maybe you should!"

There was the sudden noise of a chair being scraped across the floor, then hurried footsteps towards my room. I quickly scrambled back underneath the blankets, pretending I was asleep. Just as I closed my eyes, the door across from me opened.

I listened to Jack shuffling across the floor towards me, and I cringed. Trying to lay still when your arch nemesis was trying to stealthily approach you was harder than I expected. The sounds of his clumsy movements suddenly stopped, and I froze.

Then, I felt his warm breath on my face. My body tightened in reflex as I felt him run a few fingers over my hair, and then across my cheek. His touch was gentle and light, but I couldn't help mentally gagging. He placed his hands on my shoulders….and then began to roughly shake me.

"Hey! Kimiko, wake up!"

My eyes flew open and I glared at him angrily. _"What?"_

He turned slightly pink as I sat up, rubbing my eyes for effect. "Oh…Were you already awake?"

"No. Try to wake me up a little more gently next time. And what the hell, Jack! Stop knocking me out!"

He sighed, but a large grin was on his face. "It's the only way to keep you quiet and Wuya happy, so you can't escape. Oh, and can you come into the lab to shut her up? I'll get you breakfast."

"Do I really have a choice?"

"No." Spicer grabbed my arms and forced me off the cot, and I scowled. He lead my out of my room and into his lab, where his robots were already furiously working on some new project. Wuya was floating towards the back of his lab, and we exchanged glares before Jack pushed me down into a chair next to one of his worktables.

I crossed my arms and sat sullenly until he returned with a plate of burned toast and orange juice. Jack placed them in front of me, looking pleased that he actually managed to cook something. I raised my eyebrows at the charcoal, but figured it was better than nothing. My stomach was growling. How long had I been here?

Gingerly, I picked up the first piece of toast when a sharp gasp behind me made me jump. I turned around in my seat to see Wuya floating towards us, almost looking possessed. Her eyes were glowing brightly as she approached Jack, who grinned.

"What is it this time, Wuya?"

"A new Shen Gong Wu! The Ring of Silence…It paralyzes your opponent in rings of light, preventing movement or speech! Quickly Jack, we must go at once!"

"What about Kimiko? Should we leave her here?" I tried to look as innocent as possible, though my heart was pounding inside of me. If it was a Shen Gong Wu, then the guys would be there…and I could have a chance to escape.

"Yes, bring the girl," Wuya said, her voice filled with annoyance. "We can't risk her escaping while we're gone."

_O, I'll still escape, Wuya._

I had just turned back around to my burnt meal when another loud gasp sounded behind me. There were lights out of the corners of my eyes, and I slowly turned my head back. Wuya's eyes were glowing intensely, brighter than I had ever seen them. She seemed in a trance, and I felt a shiver run up my spine.

Then, it hit me.

The force came back, as powerful as it had been when I fell off Dojo. I put my hands over my head and closed my eyes, trying not to let my distress show. If Wuya or Jack knew, I was scared of what they might do. But, I felt like I was going to be split in two, or at least pushed into the ground. The force was strong, and I let out a sharp gasp.

And then, it stopped. I blinked and opened my eyes as my body returned to normal. Jack was looking from Wuya to me, and back to Wuya, unsure of what to make of our sudden behavior. The witch herself was staring at me ecstatically, the glow gone from her eyes. I sobered up immediately and looked away from them. My hands were trembling as I realized I had just given away my cover.

Wuya knew about the force plaguing me…But it appeared she had felt it too. She gave me one last smirk and floated off through the walls, mumbling something I couldn't hear. I felt cold inside, and very unnerved. _What is going on?!_

"Are you okay?" I jumped as I realized Jack was talking to me, then turned to face him.

"Yeah, sorry. I just felt sick when I gagged your toast down. Seriously, can't you get your mom or someone to cook me breakfast?"

He scowled angrily and grabbed my arm, forcing me out of the chair. The uneaten toast remained behind, and I looked at it ruefully. _There goes my meal…_

"Come on, we have to go. I have to get the Wu before your stupid friends do."

"You know that's not going to happen."

In response, he rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket with his free hand. I watched him warily as he pulled out a length of rope, and I tried to back away. It was obvious what he wanted to do with it. But, a robot blocked my escape path behind me, and I hissed as cold metal hands latched onto my upper arms.

I glared at Spicer as he approached me, the robot preventing me from moving away.

"I still don't trust you," he said, and bound my hands tightly with the rope.


	6. Chapter 6

******((Rewritten))**

**Chapter 6**

I was forced into the backseat of one of Jack's evil flying vehicles, and we set off. Jack climbed into the front and took over the controls while Wuya hovered impatiently by his side. I hastily looked around for a chance to escape before we took off, but two Jack-bots settled on either side of me. I scowled and looked up at Jack. He smirked, and turned back to the wheel. We took off and I slumped back into the seat.

I spent a good deal of the trip trying to wrestle my hands out of the rope. But, it appeared Jack was good at one thing- making sure his prisoners couldn't get free of their bindings. The robots watched me with wary eyes, but didn't attempt to stop my efforts at all until I tried to summon my element. I had barely even whispered 'fire' before I found two guns pointed straight at my forehead. Glaring at them, I stopped my attempts entirely. Jack chuckled from upfront, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Just give it up, Kimiko. You're not going to escape this time. My Jack-bots will be on you faster than you can say-"

"Bite me?" I interrupted sullenly, looking out the window. The land was barren and plain, pale and yellow-orange in color. We were probably over a desert of some sort, and I wished I was riding on Dojo's back instead of trapped in a flying tin can. A sudden drop in altitude made my thoughts scatter, and I frantically clutched at the arm rest.

"Jack, are you even allowed to drive this thing?"

"Technically, no. I only have my learners permit."

"You can't even legally drive yet, and you're flying a plane?! You can't do that!"

"Hey, I've flying since I was five! Don't tell me what I can and can't do." He settled his arm on top of the passenger seat, trying to appear as laid back as possible. I groaned and rolled my eyes. The change in scenery was a lot more impressive to watch than Jack attempting to be cool.

The desert didn't change, but the sky did. My eyes followed a long, winding green trail and the three silhouettes atop its frame. Immediately, I perked up and watched the familiar dragon until it was out of sight.

"Hurry Jack," hissed Wuya, speaking for the first time. "I fear the Shen Gong Wu has already been taken-"

"Relax. I haven't seen any flying geckos yet. We'll be there in less than a minute." Apparently, Jack hadn't seen Dojo. I wasn't about to tell him.

"Not by them! I-" Wuya suddenly whirled around and glared at me, and I looked innocently back. Her glare intensified for a minute, and then she calmly turned back to Jack.

"What, Wuya?"

"Never mind. I'll tell you when _she's_ not around."

* * *

Spicer pulled his plane down to the ground, and we made a clean landing. That didn't stop me from frantically clutching onto the seat the entire time. My wrists may have been bound, but my fingers were mobile, and able to cling desperately to the armrest incase we crashed.

As soon as the plane came to a stop, Spicer turned around and stared at me long and hard. This time, I didn't even try the innocent look and I scowled back at him.

"Alright, if I want to bag this Wu, I need to leave you alone. I can't have you distracting me and trying to escape. So, I'm leaving Jack-bots here to watch over you, and I'm locking this thing down."

"Oh yes, because the cripple is definitely going to be able to escape after what you've done."

"Funny," he responded, his voice matching my sarcasm. "I'm leaving. Behave."

I rolled my eyes and settled back down against the seat. "Good. I don't care."

"Oh, you will later." The front door opened and Jack climbed out. Wuya glided through after him, sneering at me all the while. I bit my lip and paid careful attention to which buttons he hit, but made no attempts to move…yet. I heard the sound of his Heli-pack activate, and then fade out into the distance. Grinning, I sat up straight.

It was time to rescue myself.

* * *

"Wuya, I'm not getting a reading. Can you sense the Wu anywhere?" Jack glowered at the device in his hands, which was supposed to lead him to the nearest Shen-Gong-Wu. He shook the little box in hopes of reviving it, but nothing happened. Scowling, Jack tossed it to the ground and looked over to the witch. She rolled her eyes and pointed a ghostly finger towards a nearby hill.

They were in a stretch of dry, hot, barren land. The earth was cracked and parched under Jack's feet as he trudged towards the mound Wuya had indicated. He wiped a beat of sweat off of his forehead as the sun shone brightly on top of him, and Jack immediately regretted his choice of clothing. Heavy trench coats and black were not the best options in the middle of the desert.

By the time he reached the top of the hill, Jack was sluggish and tired from the heat. He wearily looked around and sighed: his vision was blurred. There was no glow or shining in the land in front of him that suggested the Wu was nearby, and Jack peered at the earth.

Suddenly, the light from the sun was blocked as a tall shadow loomed in front of him. He let out a sharp yelp, and was roughly tackled to the ground. Jack hit the hard earth and began to roll, his body weighed down by the heavy figure on top of him. The next few moments were a blur as the two bodies wrestled and rolled straight down the hill it had taken Jack so long to climb.

When he finally came to a rest, Jack wheezed as clouds of dust began to rise around him. He opened his eyes to see a very familiar, very angry Xiaolin Dragon pinning him down. Coughing, he attempted to squirm away, but the monk grabbed forcefully onto his collar, and held on.

_"Where is she?!"_ Raimundo demanded, his voice a snarl as he glared down at Jack. Spicer gave a final cough and glowered back

"I don't have the Wu, if that's what you want. Get off of me! You're soiling my trench coat."

Raimundo sighed growled in exasperation. "What have you done with Kimiko, Spicer? You better tell me right now, or I'm going to-"

"How am I supposed to know where she is?" Jack snapped back, trying his hardest to feign a look of innocence. But, he was a terrible actor, and Raimundo could see straight through him.

"We know you kidnapped her! She was hurt, Jack! Where is she?! What did you do to her?"

"Like I'd ever tell you!" Jack jerked his head out of the way as a fist came flying at him, then elbowed the Xiaolin warrior in the nose. Raimundo let out a howl of pain and within moments, the two were wrestling in the dust again.

After a few minutes, Jack managed to summon some of his Jack-bots with a button on his watch. They clamped onto Raimundo and hoisted him back while Jack got to his feet. Angrily, he brushed dirt off of his clothes, and glared at his opponent.

"Raimundo!" Both of their heads turned to see the other two Xiaolin warriors at the top of the hill. Rai smirked at Jack and tore his arms free from the robots as Omi and Clay skidded down to meet their companion. Jack scowled at the group and brought his robots closer to him for self protection.

"We demand that you release Kimiko at once, Spicer," Omi demanded, immediately going into a fighting stance.

"You know baldy, when you kidnap someone, you usually don't just let them go after all that hard work."

"Then we will fight you! If we win, you shall return her to us!"

"Give it up Omi," Rai sighed, looking over to Jack. "He wouldn't do that-"

"True, I wouldn't."

The two opposing groups glared at each other as Wuya floated down next to Jack. "The Shen Gong Wu is already gone," she murmured, barely audible even to Jack. He stiffened, but didn't take his gaze off of the monks.

"Alright, Xiaolin losers," he called, narrowing his eyes. "I'm willing to make a trade. If you meet my conditions, I'll give you Kimiko back."

"What are you doing?" Wuya hissed loudly in his ear, frantically looking between the two groups in the exchange. "Jack, you can't let her go!"

"I know, I know," he whispered back, cautiously looking at the dragons. "I have everything under control, don't worry. Kimiko isn't going anywhere any time soon."

"And what's your side of this?" Raimundo answered slowly, staring back at him. "What do you want from us?"

Jack grinned, and Wuya moaned. "All of your Shen Gong Wu."

As soon as Jack left, the robots by my side flew in front of me, and stared me down. I glared at them and tried to appear like I wasn't planning anything, but it was a lost cause. Sighing, I figured I might as well put my plan into action.

"Fire." Warmth filled my fingertips as I was met again with two robotic laser guns. Narrowing my eyes, I looked across to the robots. "You really wouldn't shoot me, would you? Jack would destroy you if I got hurt…He needs me for something, doesn't he?"

The two Jack-bots quizzically at each other, and I took my advantage. Fire burst to life around my palms, burning the rope binding them. The robots frantically turned their attention back to me, but it was too late. Grabbing one of the guns at my forehead, I swung the robot into its companion. They exploded with a cloud of smoke and debris…and a laser beam that barely missed my head. Frantically, I ducked as the beam of light shot forwards towards the cockpit. Then everything went silent.

Cautiously, I lowered my arms away from my head and stood up. The plane was silent, and the robots had been destroyed. There were scraps of metal littering the floor, and singe marks on the control panel. I winced: Jack was not going to be happy when he came back and found his plane wrecked…especially if I was still inside. Shaking my head, I climbed into the cockpit and cracked my knuckles.

Even with all my experience with technology, I still had no idea where to stop. Video games and cell phones are a lot different than flying machines built by evil sixteen year olds. Sighing, I looked over to where the laser had hit the controls, and slammed my hands down onto the buttons.

The panel began to spark and fume as my hands hit ten buttons at once, and I hastily jumped away, just in case it exploded or something. But instead of spontaneously combusting, the monitors began to glow, and the inner mechanisms of the plane began to whirl. Grinning, I scrambled into the cockpit and tried the lock on the driver's side door.

And miraculously, it opened. My eyes widened in surprise as the door slid away from plane, and a rush of hot desert air rushed in. Without a moment of hesitation, I jumped down and took off running as fast as my bad leg would allow me to go. _Freedom!_ I had escaped!

Although I had no idea where the guys would be, I figured following Jack's tracks would be the best way to find them. After all, if he found the Wu, there would most likely be a showdown between my friends and him. Then, it would be easy to get back to the guys and return to the temple.

Finding Jack's trail was harder than I expected, but after ten minutes of trudging through the dry earth, I found one of his Shen Gong Wu devices lying on the ground. It was at the base of a hill, and I eyed it warily before quietly scurrying upwards. I didn't want to suddenly come across Jack and have him drag me back into captivity, so I crept up the hill as carefully as I could. Finally, when I reached the top, I dropped onto my stomach and peered down at the valley in front of me. Then my eyes widened.

The guys were facing Jack…and he had just demanded all of our Shen Gong Wu for me. My mouth dropped as I listened to their conversation, and I tried to think of a plan. Luckily, Jack's back was towards me, so he wouldn't be able to see me if I tried to attract my friends' attention. Slowly, I crept closer over the hill. If the guys were looking, they would be able to see me, but I could duck out of view quickly if I needed to. Once I was situated, I waved my arms above my head in hopes that one of them would see me.

Raimundo noticed right away and his mouth fell open as he stared at me. Frantically, I held a finger to my lips and pointed to Jack. But, he continued to stare for a moment as if he couldn't believe I was there. Rolling my eyes, I smacked my hand against my head in exasperation, and he immediately sobered up.

"Where's Dojo?" I whispered, mouthing my words carefully as I looked down at him. Raimundo was staring at Jack, but I could tell he was watching me as well, out of the corners of his eyes. Omi and Clay were arguing with the self proclaimed Evil Boy Genius and didn't notice me, but I had Raimundo's full attention now.

Slowly, he raised his shoulders up and down: a shrug. My eyes narrowed as I watched him mouth me back.

_"Desert. Looking for Wu. Doesn't feel well."_

I smacked myself in the head again. I had been expecting Dojo to be with them, so I could fly away as soon as possible. But, if he was suffering from his usual Shen Gong Wu symptoms, Dojo was probably lying in the desert somewhere complaining instead of on Clay's hat where he usually was. Now my escape was getting a lot more complicated. I groaned, and accidently sent a few pebbles skittering down the hill.

One of the robots by Jack's side whirled around at the slightest noise of my mistake, and aimed its gun straight at me. I barely had time to duck before deadly red beams of light went flying. With a yelp, I rolled out of the way as the laser barely missed my torso. Frantically, I looked down again to see the entire group staring at me.

"GO!" Raimundo shouted, leaping towards Jack as he tried to summon more of his robots. The Jack-bots near him rushed at me, followed closely by Clay and Omi. I scrambled to my feet and ran in the opposite direction, scanning the bleak horizon for any sign of Dojo. Instead I saw a swarm of Jack-bots headed straight towards me. Gulping, I looked behind me to see Clay and Omi trying to counter the robots while Raimundo had Jack in a headlock. Apparently, the Evil Boy Genius hadn't seen him coming.

There was another rush of air past my face as I felt one of the robots behind me fire its beams. There wasn't any time left for me to mess around. I began to run down the hill, pain shooting up my leg with every step. It was a sharp descent, and I found myself in front of Omi and Clay in no time.

With one quick move, I slammed my fist into the back of one of the robots, shattering its controls instantly. As the robot dropped to the ground, there was a flash of movement behind me, and I whirled around. "Kimiko!" Omi cried happily, running towards me for a hug instead of fighting the robots at his back. My shoulders sagged slightly in disbelief as I watched him come towards me, forgetting for a moment that there were more Jackbots waiting behind me.

"KIM! LOOK OUT!"

At the sound of Raimundo's voice, I turned frantically to see those robots behind me, just about to aim an attack. My eyes widened as I tried to summon my element, and they pounced. Suddenly, I was tackled into the earth, and I yelped as the body on top of me sent me flying down the rest of the hill.

It was Raimundo again. He had let go of Jack to help us fight the robots, leaving the Heylin Teenager gasping for air in the dust. I ducked down as he let out a powerful gust of wind, sending the Jackbot that had been about to attack me spiraling into the others. "Come on!" he shouted, grabbing my wrist. I yelped again as he yanked me forwards and upwards, sending pain shooting through my bad leg.

"Raimundo," I gasped, halting in the dusty earth. "M-my leg, I can't-"

His response was to hoist me onto his back and keep running. Omi and Clay saw us fleeing and disappeared over the opposite side of the hill, trying to distract the robots. I clutched at Rai's shoulders frantically as he ran past Jack, who cried out in frustration.

"JACKBOTS! ATTACK!"

I looked over my shoulder to see volleys of green laser lights heading straight towards us, and I gasped. Quickly, I sent a wave of fire to intercept them, while Raimundo kept on running. "Where'd Omi and Clay go?" I shouted over the sound of his rushing wind and the approaching Jackbots.

"They went to find Dojo!" he shouted back. He glanced back at me and grinned widely, despite all the danger we were in. "It's good to have you back, Kim."

"It's about time for you to rescue me! Why didn't you get me before?! Do you know how awful it is living with Jack?"

He merely smiled ruefully and shook his head. "We figured you might have been able to get yourself out again. If you could whoop my ass that badly in training, I thought you'd have a lot less trouble with Jack."

"Yeah, well the injured leg really put a damper on my escape attempts," I grumbled back. I peered behind me and sent out another wave as the Jackbots fired at us, Jack hovering just above them. His face was narrowed in concentration as he desperately tried to take us down. I shivered and clutched Raimundo tighter, my eyes drawn to the approaching horizon.

Dojo loomed up out of nowhere, Clay and Omi already perched upon his back. "Over here!" the dragon shouted, waving a scaly arm as he shot towards us. I braced myself as Raimundo took a flying leap, landing both of us safely upon his back. Clay wrestled his arms securely around me, and I let my shoulders sag in relief.

Dojo began to fly higher into the sky, leaving Jack and his robotic accomplices behind. "NO!" I heard him scream, his cries sounding anguished as he watched me disappear. I felt another shiver run down my spine as I watched him below me, Wuya now at his side. My eyes met hers for a moment, and her face hardened into one of anger and frustration…and a bit of fear. With a frown on my face, I watched her turn to Jack and begin to scold him, but her words were lost among the wind.

Putting them out of my mind, I sighed and relaxed into Clay's arms. "Ready to go home, lil lady?" he asked, grinning. I nodded enthusiastically as Dojo set his course towards the Temple, and we began to fly home.

Finally, I was free, no longer in Jack's hands…and out of Wuya's plans. I was safe…at least, for now.


	7. Chapter 7

**((Rewritten))**

**Chapter 7**

I never realized how much I loved living in the Temple until I finally went home. It was such a relief to be surrounded by my friends, instead of constantly worrying about Jack and Wuya's plans for me. I was safe! The guys were by my side for most of the days, just in case Jack decided to come back for me. He didn't, and as I grew stronger I knew if he tried anything, I would be ready this time.

In the week that followed my rescue, I ate real food instead of charcoal. I wore my training robes instead of Katnappe's leftovers, and my leg finally healed. We all began training with the Shen Gong Wu again, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could _still_ kick Raimundo's butt without trying. He, of course, was not too happy about this, but what did I care?

And most importantly, the force did not come back. I didn't have any more strange dreams, and my element stayed completely under my control. No one made any more jokes about me, and I continued my studies like nothing had ever happened.

And so, life went on in the Xiaolin Temple

* * *

Jack Spicer stared miserably at the remains of the robots he had managed to recover from his last encounter with the Xiaolin Dragons. He dejectedly tugged his spiral goggles over his eyes, and picked up a blowtorch. Then, he reluctantly got to work.

_How could I have let her escape? Wuya needed her…she's going to kill me!_

As if the witch was reading his thoughts, Jack jumped as she came floating through the wall, looking just as miserable as he was.

"Jack," she moaned, gliding over to his side. He put down the blowtorch uncertainly, waiting for her to start yelling. "How could you have let her escape?! She was needed! Ahh, I assign you the simplest of tasks and of course you find someway to mess them up! I don't think it's even worth being evil half the times these days! You need to-"

She cut off abruptly, her eyes growing wide. Bright light began to shine within them as her face froze. Jack stared at her in confusion, wondering if he should try to snap her out of it.

An unexpected click from the doorway of his basement made Jack jump, and he whirled around. A man was standing there, his face concealed in the shadows.

"Is that," Wuya whispered, "Is it you?" She slowly glided forwards towards the figure, her eyes still shining brightly.

"Wuya," the man replied slyly, his lips curved into a smirk. He stepped into light, his own golden eyes glinting with malice as he regarded the two. "It's been too long."

Jack's mouth fell open as he stared at him, unable to form any coherent thoughts. The man wore dark green Heylin armor that covered everything except for his head. His face was pale, framed by long, black hair, and his eyes were cut perfectly into reptilian slits

"What's this, Wuya?" he said, his voice holding a note of surprise as he scanned the room. "Reduced to partnering up with children…in a basement? I thought you were higher than that. But, it does not matter. I have come for what you promised me."

Jack, his ego having been threatened, finally snapped back to the real world. "I am not a child!" he said stubbornly, crossing his arms in a huff. He jerked his head up proudly and glared at the man, though his lips settled in a pout "I am an EVIL boy genius. There's a difference-"

"Of course Jack," Wuya interrupted her voice sarcastic. "Now shut up. We have a guest." Wuya glided closer to the man, her eyes suddenly uneasy. "As, uh, what you came for…I'm afraid we have a slight problem."

The man instantly narrowed his eyes, and both Jack and Wuya winced. "You do not have-"

"Well," Wuya said quickly. "Well…we would have, except-"

"Say no more, Wuya," the man hissed. His golden eyes darkened as he advanced on them, and Jack whimpered. He ducked behind Wuya as she gulped. "I trusted that you would deliver what you promised me once I returned... I have regained my powers, and I cannot put them to use without-"

"And you shall have what you want," Wuya said hurriedly, making any attempt that she could to pacify him. "I know where you can find her..."

* * *

Although I was happy to be back, my first week had been exhausting. Now that my leg was healed, I took every chance that I could get to train, and catch up with all the others. Today was no exception; I stayed out to practice by myself at night, long past when the stars came up and everyone had gone to sleep.

It was about midnight when I finally retreated to my room, my body almost numb with exhaustion. I slumped down into my futon and groaned, not even bothering to take my training robes off. I just wanted to sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to drift off, with moonlight from the window shining down brightly on my pillow.

Then with a gasp I bolted upright, my eyes wide. There was an unexpected pressure in my chest, and I realized in dread that the force had returned. It was stronger than I had felt it in a long time, and I hastily wrapped my arms around my stomach. My body was suddenly brimming with energy and power, and I couldn't take it.

Something was wrong, I could feel it. My eyes automatically wandered to the window, where the moon was shining just above the Vault. I automatically frowned when I saw nothing out of the ordinary…and then, I froze.

A shadow crossed the gardens, and disappeared into the Vault.

I instantly bolted out of my bed and pulled my shoes on, then ran outside. I couldn't see anyone, but I knew someone was there in the darkness. My heart began to pound, and I quickly ran to Raimundo's room.

He was curled up on his own futon holding a teddy bear, and I rolled my eyes. Without wasting a second, I rushed to his side and began to shake him violently. "RAI!" I whispered urgently, shaking him harder. "Rai, wake up! Someone's in the Vault! Raimundo!"

He simply rolled over and tried to swat me away, holding onto his teddy bear tighter. "Stop it Omi, that's my alligator…" he murmured. Confused, I stared at him: usually Raimundo was easy to wake up…So why couldn't I rouse him now? I shook him one last time, but when he still didn't wake up, I ran to Clay's room.

He too would not wake up, even when I shook him as hard as I could. Omi, in the next room, was the exact same way. Something was definitely going on here. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I quietly went back out into the gardens, unsure of what to do.

I was the only one awake in the Temple, and someone was trying to steal our Shen Gong Wu. I had no choice but to go investigate, even though I really didn't want to go by myself. With a shudder, I tried to calm my frantic heart and began to make my way to the Vault.

The force grew steadily stronger as I approached its open doors, and a bead of cold sweat broke out upon my forehead. Silently, I slipped into the Vault, barely making a noise. I couldn't see or hear anything except the fast pounding of my heart, and my legs began to shake. Something was entirely wrong here. I didn't want to go any further, but it was up to me to protect the Wu.

When I entered the main room, I froze. The steps around the pot weren't activated…meaning either that no one had tried to get to the Wu, or that they had already been there and left. But, the air was too still, and the force within me was still getting stronger.

I began to make by way around the room, cautiously looking over my shoulder as I went. My eyes were constantly scanning for any flicker of movement, though I saw none. For some reason, my mind began to flash back to all the scary movies I had ever seen, where the monsters always jumped out at people from the least likely of places. Then, I remembered how they usually ended.

_No one ever looked up._

With a sharp gasp, I jerked my head up to see a figure crouching on the rafters, and my heart skipped a beat. The force hit me full blast, as powerful as it had been when I fell off Dojo. My entire body froze in unexpected fear, and I couldn't breathe. All of this happened in a matter of seconds, before the figure above me hissed.

"_Ring of Silence!"_

There was a sudden flash of green light, and suddenly, I couldn't move. The light had knocked me down against the wall to the floor, paralyzing my entire body. Green rings of light had formed around my hands, feet and my mouth: it was like I was bound and gagged.

As I instantly began to struggle against my unusual bindings, the figure from above jumped down from the darkness of the rafters into the soft torchlight of the vault. My eyes went wide in panic as he approached me, a sly smirk on his face. The man was dressed in armor that practically screamed he was evil, and his eyes confirmed it. He looked young enough, perhaps late teens or early twenties, but his eyes told an entirely different story. They were golden, but cold and hard….and where his pupils should have been, I saw he had dark slits. My heart must have stopped entirely, though I continued to struggle as hard as I could.

He walked closer to me, keeping his reptilian eyes focused on my panicking form. But when he saw the look of both fury and fear on my face, he stopped entirely, and another sly smile crossed his face. "Xiaolin Dragon of Fire," he said softly, moving just another step forward. I immediately had the feeling that he was a predator, stalking his prey. "My name…is Chase Young."

I didn't understand. I stopped my weak struggling for a minute to stare at him apprehensively, and attempted to shy away into the wall. I had heard his name before from Dojo, but this man was supposed to have disappeared…_1500 years ago_. Plus, the Chase Young I had heard of had been one of the most evil Heylin warriors ever. It couldn't have really been him…right?

He saw the recognition in my eyes, and the fear my reaction produced in my expression. He regarded me smugly, the sly smirk on his face growing wider before he continued to speak.

"I have returned after 1500 years with my powers restored, and I wish to conquer the world once again. But, my powers are not as great as they should be. I need more power…I need another warrior to help me take over the world. I need you."

He watched my reaction again, though this time, I tried to keep my face steady. "I wish for you to join me."

His words caught me off guard, and I looked at him in bewilderment. _Did he just say…that he wanted me to join him?_ My body went cold, and I pressed my back further into the wall. Even if I could have spoken, I don't think I could have said anything coherent. My mind went numb as he continued to speak, and I didn't take my eyes off of him.

"I have been watching you ever since I began to restore my powers. I was the one who healed you after you fell…I was the one who helped you defeat that pathetic excuse for evil. My presence is well known to you, I assume."

Sudden realization hit me like a bucket of cold water thrown in my face. _He was causing the force._ Everything made sense now- the dreams, the power I felt, the black handprint from the sandstorm. Just his evil presence had been enough to set off my senses.

As I tried to comprehend this, Chase Young began to slowly walk towards me. My attentions instantly snapped back to him, and I tried to scoot backwards. He knelt down in front of me on one knee and examined my features as I attempted to get away. His eyes bored into mine, but when I would not meet his gaze, he firmly tinted my chin up to meet his golden eyes. I glared back with every bit of firepower I possessed, while his cold eyes revealed nothing to me.

"I could just take you now," he said softly, almost fondly. My heart stopped again, and I tried to jerk my head out of his hold. He held me tight, his eyes never moving from mine. Then, he sighed and continued on. "But, I am in a generous mood and am therefore willing to give you a choice."

I bristled with a combination of fear and anger, and my glare deepened. Who did he think he was, to bargain and offer me choices? For some reason, I wasn't afraid of him at all…just the power he possessed. He raised my chin even higher, and I tried again to jerk out of his grasp. Then, he lowered his face closer to mine, until we were only inches apart.

"I will give you three days choice to think about my offer. I will come and find you then, no matter where you are. Or," he finished slyly, with a look of what I thought was a mixture of smugness and amusement, "Perhaps you will come to find me."

My glare faltered for a moment as he spoke, and his other hand wandered across my body to my wrists. He took one of my light-bound hands in his, never taking his eyes off of me. Something cool slipped onto my finger and my body tensed in reflex.

He finally released my chin and stood up, and I was left struggling against the wall again. He pulled a small metal disk from his pocket, and held it up in the light. I recognized it immediately from the Shen Gong Wu scroll, and I jerked forward. My mouth wouldn't open to allow me to speak, but I knew Chase Young understood what I was attempting to say.

"That's right," he chuckled, flashing the disk in the light. "I look the Ring of Silence before any of the Xiaolin warriors could get to it…I have no interest in Shen Gong Wu, but this one seemed to be worth it."

He pressed down on the disk, and the light binding me instantly disappeared. With a loud gasp, I collapsed to the floor, my heart pounding. And when I looked up, Chase Young was gone.

I scrambled to my feet and ran outside into the gardens, but he was nowhere to be seen. My mouth opened in disbelief, and I tried to comprehend where he had just gone.

"Remember," his cool voice whispered behind me. _"Three days."_ With another gasp, I whirled around, only to see a shadow disappearing over the roof of the Vault.

I was left alone in silence, my heart pounding furiously. There was so much to take in, and I could hardly think straight. I slumped down to the Vault steps and buried my face in my palms, my hands shaking. Something cool grazed my cheek, and I lifted my hand away to see what it was.

There was a ring on my finger. It was simple, a plain silver band with what looked like an opal in the center. But as I stared at it, the stone flashed red, and I caught a glimpse of what looked like Chase Young's face in it. Disgusted, I slid the ring off my finger and hurled it as far away as I could into the gardens. Then, I turned and began to slowly walk back to my room.

What was I going to do?

**((Review!))**


	8. Chapter 8

**((Rewritten))**

**Chapter 8**

Somehow, after that awful night, I managed to fall asleep. I didn't even realize it until I groggily lifted my sore head from my pillows, and wearily looked around. With a grumble and the last fleeting images of my nightmare stuck in my head, I let my eyes slide shut…and least, until I saw the ring.

Fear and confusion slammed into me simultaneously, and I jerked out of my sheets. The dainty silver ring on my trembling fingers shone innocently in the sunlight, while I cursed its very existence. So, it hadn't been a nightmare…Chase Young had really come for me. Remembering how I had tossed it the night before, I tried to pull it off, but the band was glued to my finger. _Great._

Unable to focus on anything else now, I mindlessly went through my morning routine while my thoughts fluttered helplessly inside my head. What the hell was I supposed to do? I couldn't tell Master Fung or any of the guys…Not only would they not believe me, but I couldn't put them in danger if Chase came for me.

My wild expression in the mirror made me stop moving for a moment, and I took a deep breath. Chase Young, who I knew so little about besides the fact that he was pure evil, wouldn't want a weakling like me. I was only fourteen and had barely begun my training…there were so many other potential candidates for taking over the world. _Like Omi! _What was wrong with Omi, and not me?

The sun was high in the sky now, and I knew I was already late for breakfast. I couldn't hide in my room any longer, someone would come looking for me. Nervously, I finished getting dressed and went out into the courtyard, still preoccupied and practically afraid of my own shadow.

It made no sense, since Chase Young wouldn't just appear in the middle of the Temple, when everyone was up. Besides, he said I had three days to make my choice. Why would he come for me early?

Three days suddenly felt like an incredibly short amount of time, even though my decision was already made. I would never go to the Heylin side, or help one of the evilest warriors on earth take over the world. That was kind of a no-brainer, since I wasn't at the Temple merely to scrub toilets. It made no sense why he would even seek me out, I mean, I wasn't even that powerful!

I felt slightly more confident until another thought popped into my head. What would he do if I said no?

My body turned to ice in an instant, and I immediately pushed every thought from my head as I entered the kitchen. It was empty and the kitchen sink was loaded with dirty plates, meaning the guys were already out training. I loaded a somewhat clean dish with the last of the rice, but the thought of sitting alone with nothing to distract me from my thoughts made me dump it in the trash.

That morning, I trained vigorously, but it was obvious that I was distracted. I couldn't stop moving long enough for Raimundo to hit me with an attack, though when I released mine, they were severely off target. Master Fung was not going to like the new assortment of scorches and burnt shrubs.

More than once the guys asked if I was okay, but I could do nothing but nod my head vigorously and suggest another round of battles to distract me. Lunch was a hurried affair, before I launched myself into the chores with a ferocity unmatched by any monk before me. By now, even Master Fung was starting to notice my sudden change of behavior, but I could only say that I was anxious to make up the lost time I had spent with Jack.

Night came and I expected my exhaustion to drop me off in sleep with no problems, but I stayed up late into the night, tossing and turning, and unable to get those golden eyes out of my mind.

The second day passed in the same manner, though now I was constantly edgy. I had one day left to prepare myself for whatever Chase Young would do. Several times I considered telling Master Fung what was bothering me, but I could never do it. Even I was beginning to doubt if Chase Young would even return.

The third morning dawned after another uneasy sleep, and fear flooded my veins, causing my heart to pound frantically even though I hadn't even left my bed. By the time I got to breakfast, my face was pale with anxiety. Dojo made me eat an extra bowl of rice since I looked so horrible, but I could barely get it down. Everything was heavy and tasteless in my dry mouth. I was a black sheep at the kitchen table, compared to the liveliness of the other monks around me.

By the time we started training, I knew it was only anxiety that kept me on my feet. I was so tired from my lack of sleep that I stumbled through the routines, only coming to my senses when Omi hit me square in the face with a blast of icy water.

Seeing how out of it I was, the guys decided to take an early break for lunch. As they wandered back towards the kitchen, I decided to return to my room instead, but I only made it as far as the garden. I collapsed onto one of the stone benches, holding my head in my hands. My senses perked up as I felt the presence of someone behind me, just as a hand fell over my shoulder. I jumped to my feet and whirled around, fire raging in my hands as I prepared to attack…only to see that it was Raimundo.

My arms quickly dropped as he stared at me, and I sunk back down to the bench. He sat down besides me, a worried look in his eyes. "Kim, you know you can tell me what's going on, right? We all know something's wrong…has that force thingy been bothering you?"

I sighed heavily and looked down at my hands, twisting the band of the ring in unease. "Something like that," I said vaguely. I wanted desperately to tell him, but what could I say? _So Rai, have you ever heard of that really evil warrior Chase Young, who disappeared 1500 years ago? Yeah, well, he came back and he wants me to take over the world with him…and today's the day I tell him my decision._

Yeah, right.

Raimundo sighed along side me and squeezed my knee, then started to stand. "Well, if you ever figure things out, remember I'm right here to talk. We better be getting to lunch, by now Clay's probably had third helpings."

I forced a weak smile, but shook my head when he offered a hand to pull me up. "I'll be along in a minute…I want to get my thoughts in order first." Raimundo shrugged and started walking away, and I pulled my knees up to my chest. With another deep breath, I closed my eyes and let the warm sunlight wash over me. The temple was completely silent, and I felt my head begin to nod forward.

And then I heard Rai's scream, quickly silenced by a low growl. With a jolt of fear, I scrambled to my feet and looked around…But Raimundo was nowhere to be seen. The entire courtyard was completely empty, when I knew he had been just steps behind me before.

"Oh no," I whispered, my body growing cold. The ring on my finger seemed to grow unbearably warm, and anxiety welled up inside of me. Something was happening, something I didn't want to face. I stood frozen in the garden, unable to move…At least, until I heard more yells.

_Omi. Clay._ I would know their voices anywhere. My body sprang into action, and I started running as fast as I could towards the source of the noise. My heart must have skipped a beat and I had broken into a cold sweat as the truth began to dawn on me. I refused to acknowledge what was happening as I sprinted around a corner.

The next sight made me freeze in my tracks, and I stumbled forward. A large, ferocious cat stood growling in my path, its eyes golden and narrowed in malice. An unwanted scream erupted from my throat and I scrambled back, holding my hands over my head as if my limbs would save me. A sob erupted from my throat as I stayed crouched, waiting for the cat to attack me.

I don't know how long I stayed like that, but the next thing I knew, little claws were digging into my arms, shaking me. I cried out and stumbled away, only to see Dojo looking at me in bewilderment.

"Key kid, you okay? I've been calling you guys to lunch for ten minutes. I made egg rolls!" he said proudly, crossing his arms over his scaly chest. Though at the sight of my terrified face, his expression softened, and he slithered forward. "Kimiko, what's the matter?"

The sudden clink of metal on stone made me jump, and I looked down to see a ring at the base of my feet. It was silver, with an opal in the middle…an exact match to the one I was wearing. My heart stopped cold, and I knew all the color had left my face. I needed no other clues to know that Chase Young had kidnapped my friends.

"Dojo," I said weakly, trying to compose my features. I dropped the extra ring to the stone and crushed it beneath my foot, though the one on my hand remained stuck. "Do you know where Chase Young lives?"

He looked at me suspiciously, though I knew he had no idea why I was asking. "He hasn't been around for 1500 years...Dead for all we know, why?"

"I need you to take me to him…I mean, where he lived." My voice was growing urgent now as I thought of what he was doing to my friends. "Please Dojo, just take me there! I'll explain later!"

I know I sounded hysterical, even as I was trying to swallow my fears. Dojo looked at me in confusion for a long moment, before lengthening his body to his usual form. "Kim, I'm not exactly sure this is the best idea, no one's been up there for centuries!"

I leapt onto his back and firmly pressed my thighs against him while he sighed. "Please Dojo," I pleaded. He began to rise into the air while I was stuck trying to figure out what on earth I was going to do.

"Next stop, the lair of the most evil warrior known to mankind…"

He began to fly faster at my urging, while I shifted through my fleeting thoughts. Chase had my friends, and it was up to me to save him.

A fourteen-year-old girl against a master of evil? This was sure to go well.


	9. Chapter 9

**((Rewritten))**

**Chapter 9**

After a half an hour of steady flying, Dojo began to descend into a wasteland, dotted with cliffs and jagged mountains. I hadn't said anything to him the entire time we were flying, and even now I couldn't say anything. My stomach turned uncomfortably inside of me and I clutched Dojo even tighter. He looked back at me curiously, but didn't say a word.

A cliff loomed up in front of us and as I strained my eyes, I could see a dark cave in its center. It was made of black stone and looked like an opened mouth, its rock teeth hanging along the entrance. A shiver ran down my spine as Dojo gracefully landed on a stretch of flat land in front of it, and I leaped off.

"Thanks, Dojo," I whispered, unable to make my voice any higher. I started to walk towards the opening, but he immediately slithered in front of me, blocking my path.

"Kimiko, I don't know why we're here or what you're up to, but this is dangerous! You don't know what's-"

"He's back," I interrupted him, trying to walk around him.

"…What?"

"Chase Young! He's come back, and he kidnapped the guys…I have to go save them, it's my fault he has them!" Dojo looked at me like I was crazy, but I ignored him. "Please, just believe me. I'll explain later."

I jumped over him and started to walk deeper into the cave, which became as black as night only a few steps in. The air was still and musty inside, as if it hadn't been used in years. _Fifteen hundred years…_

"Kimiko, wait!" Dojo's voice echoed behind me. I turned and gave him a half wave, a forced smile on my face.

"I'll be back out in a minute, don't worry!" I shouted back. Then, before he could say another word, I disappeared into the darkness.

Fire burst to life in my fingers so I could see, and I started to deftly move down the cave path. The natural light behind me soon faded away and I had to rely on just my element to see. In another hundred feet, I saw that it ended in a large wooden door. My heart started pounding louder in my chest, but I ignored my obvious fear and kept going.

As soon as I was a few feet away, the door slid open at my approach. This had to be a trap, but what other choice did I have? I froze in my tracks, anxiety finally taking over my body until I saw that a soft light illuminated the doorway. Uneasily, I stepped forward, and gasped.

I had been expecting a dark, musty cave or another stone passageway, but instead I found myself in a large stone chamber, as large as all the rooms in the Xiaolin Temple combined. The floors were white marble, and natural light shone in from every direction. Huge blue and green stained glass windows lined the walls and fountains bubbled pleasantly in every corner.

This had to be a mistake. I looked like I was in a temple, not the lair of one of the most evil Heylin warriors ever. Taking a deep breath, I took another few steps forward, trying to find some sign of Raimundo, Omi and Clay…or of Chase Young.

Then, I saw them.

My friends had been forced up against a wall, and their arms hung in chains above them. Gags had been tied roughly over their mouths, and they were struggling fiercely. My heart caught in my throat, and I ran to them without a second thought, even though the door slammed shut behind me.

"Oh my god! Rai! Clay! Omi! Are you guys okay?" I ripped the gag off Raimundo's mouth while he watched me with wild, fearful eyes.

"K-Kimiko!" he gasped, struggling in the shackles that bound his wrists above his head. "Kim, you have to go now! You're in danger! There's this guy…just go now! Leave us here, we'll make it out somehow!"

I froze but shook my head, taking the cloth off of Clay's mouth. "I know I am, but I'm not going to leave you guys here! It's my fault-"

"Raimundo's right," Clay interrupted me. His eyes were full of concern, and I hastily turned away from his gaze. "Kim, you gotta go now, it's your only chance."

By now, I was standing on my tiptoes, trying to break open the shackles on Raimundo's wrists. "I told you," I snapped angrily, "I'm not-"

"Well, well, well…" an icy voice sounded behind me. My heart stopped completely in my chest, and I could only stare at Raimundo, my eyes wide in fear. "It _is_ the third day."

_No…not so soon…_ I turned around slowly, trying not to let my eyes betray my feelings. Chase Young was leaning on one of the stain glass windows behind me, a smug look on his face. At his confident expression, I felt my fear give way to anger, and I clenched my hands into fists to control myself.

"Release them," I said calmly, though I was trying not to scream. "_Now._"

He ignored me and stood up straight, then started to walk forwards towards us. "Did I not say," he continued in the same cool voice, "that _you_ would come to find me?"

"Only because you kidnapped my friends," I shouted angrily back at him. I wanted to draw my element, but I had a feeling that that would only make the situation worse. The guys hung behind me uneasily, still struggling to get rid of the chains. "Did you think that I would abandon them to avoid you?"

"Of course…the heroine comes to save the day."

My mouth flew open as I prepared to retort, but Chase cut me off again. My anger was sending me on the edge again, and my eyes narrowed into a glare.

"If you want them back so much, may I suggest a Showdown between the two of us? If you win, you and your fellow monks can go. If not-"

"I'm_ not_ going to fight you," I snapped back. "I've only come here to get my friends back, and tell you that my decision is no. You can't make me do anything!"

"I can't?" the smug look on his face intensified, and I felt my stomach drop. He snapped his fingers, and out of nowhere, enormous jungle cats began to surround us. I looked around uneasily as their eyes locked onto mine, growling all the while.

"What's up with the cats?" I said, trying to be calm. My eyes darted nervously to the cat nearest to me, and it hissed in response. I flinched.

"They used to be great warriors who lost in Showdowns to me...now they are under my complete control. They feel nothing, and only live to served me…And I have not yet fed them." He raised his hand and the cats started to advance…only this time, they ignored me, and started prowling towards the guys.

Chase was leading them straight to my friends. I stared at him in horror, my calmness evaporating. "You wouldn't dare," I whispered. I glanced nervously back to the guys, to see that they had stopped struggling, and were staring nervously at the cats near their feet.

"Want to bet?" He flicked his hand, and the cats immediately began to crouch, preparing to lunge.

"NO!" I yelled desperately. I ran and dodged in front of the other monks, holding out my hands as if I alone could stop them. "Leave them out of this, it's between you and me! They have nothing to do with this!" I was sure the guys had no idea what was going on, but it didn't matter. I was trying to save their lives…and mine, if I could.

Chase sighed and snapped his fingers again. The cats retreated a few steps, but not by much. "As you wish," he said, his voice sounding slightly bored. "They are of no use to me anyways." I glared at him while his smirk grew bigger, and his golden eyes bored into mine. "Kimiko…Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, I challenge you to a Showdown."

I looked back at the guys and then to Chase, my hope dying in my chest. There was no way out of this. He had me trapped here with my friends…and only I had the option the save them. With a heavy sigh, I hung my head. "What are the terms?"

"The release of your comrades for your pledge of eternal loyalty. You win, and you may leave with the others. I win, and I will release them, but you will still be eternally loyal to me."

"No, Kimiko!" Omi shouted from behind me. "Do not agree! Leave us, do not fight him!"

I turned around and faced them, though I was unable to meet their eyes. Raimundo was staring miserably at me, and Clay had an expression of pure fury on his face. There was no way I was ever going to leave them here, no matter what they said. "I have to," I whispered. "There's no other way."

Chase was watching me intently as I turned away from them and looked into his golden eyes. Now, I wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face. "Fine," I said slowly. "I accept."

"The game will be stone-jumping. You will rely on your Xiaolin element and your martial art skills only…no Shen Gong Wu. The first to touch the ground looses."

I took a deep breath, and tried to concentrate, ignoring the shouts of the guys behind me. I felt confident enough, since I usually did pretty well in showdowns…but then again, I had never fought against an evil Heylin Master, nor had I ever fought for something so valuable. _My eternal loyalty? _I was too afraid to consider the outcomes if I lost, so I nodded my head sharply. "Lets go."

The floor began to rumble and vibrate until the marble cracked, and stones shot into the sky. Pillars rose up all around us, while some stepping stones floated here and there. I closed my eyes as I felt the marble underneath of me giving way, and a breeze whipped around my ankles. The cries of my friends were lost in the confusion of the arena preparing itself for our battle, and I took a deep breath. I couldn't think about them right now if I wanted to win.

When the rumbling came to a stop, I opened my eyes to see that I was standing on a pillar fifty feet in the air. Chase was opposite me, a few yards away. Spikes had formed all around his armor, while I remained in my training robes. I cracked my knuckles and stared at him, wondering just how exactly I was going to take him down.

He met my gaze, his eyes as piercing as ever, and nodded his head sharply. I raised my chin, and we both shouted, "Gong Yi Tampi!" The showdown had begun.

I barely had time to even register that he had moved, until something hard rammed straight into me. I yelped in surprise as I hit the stone and skidded backwards until my body dropped off the side. Somehow, I managed to grab onto the edge of the stone right before I fell and I frantically tried to hoist myself back up.

"It's only been a minute, and already you are loosing, Kimiko?" My head snapped up to see Chase standing above me, an amused expression on his face. "This may be easier than I expected…though this means I have much to teach you in the future."

"Go to hell," I snarled back. Just as he tried to step on my fingers, I let go of the edge and fell onto another raised stone just below me. I hit the hard surface and rolled into a standing position, frantically looking upwards. Chase was already gone.

Wind brushed past my neck, and I whirled around, not at all surprised to see Chase behind me. Without wasting a second, I went into a fighting stance and summoned my element. "Judollete Flip…Fire!" I shouted. Flames rushed into my hands as I flipped towards him, attempting to knock him down and burn him. Instead, he easily stepped out of the way and chuckled.

"You're going to have to do a lot better than that if you wish to defeat me," he said, the smirk on his face growing larger. My eyes narrowed as I turned to face him again, trying to figure out my next move.

Flames blazed around me as I rushed at him again. I attempted to slam my burning hands into his neck, while sweeping a leg into his to off-balance him. It had worked dozens of times on Raimundo, so I figured it might work on him. He raised his hand just as I prepared to strike, and I was knocked backwards. Had he just…_flicked_ me?

He was way too powerful for me to take on in direct combat. My heart started to pound as I glanced at him, and then dove for the edge of the stone. He reached out to grab me and missed by inches, just as I dropped down to another ledge. With a giant leap, I fled to a pillar, trying to get away from him.

Chase was too fast for me though. After a few seconds of running frantically, he was in my path again. I furiously hurled fire at him before I jumped away, but he was always in front of me, blocking my attacks without any effort. Now, I was on the defensive. He moved to attack me, and it took all my strength to merely hold him off. We went back and forth, neither of us yielding, though while I grew exhausted, he looked untouched.

Out of frustration, I snarled and threw myself at him with all the energy that I could muster. Again, he blocked my attack…but this time was different. I looked up slowly at Chase to see him holding onto my flaming fist, and smiling.

With one small flick, he threw me backwards. I could only helplessly feel my body fall through the air, until I slammed into another pillar. Pain exploded in my head, and I had the wind knocked out of me with the impact. My body began to slide downwards until I grasped a stone, and pulled myself up. I collapsed on the cool surface, gasping for air as I tried to compose myself. Finally, I managed to stand up, but Chase had already jumped down in front of me.

He advanced, like a predator stalking his prey, but my legs were frozen in panic and pain. His smirk grew, and I felt my body go cold. "Welcome to the Heylin side, Dragon of Fire," he said in a low voice. A cry caught in my throat, and I desperately tried to run away, but it was too late. Chase lunged and caught me around the waist, wrapping his arms securely around me. We went over the edge, and then we both were falling.

I could feel the wind rushing past my face and see the ground coming closer and closer. Frantically, I tried to escape from his clutches, but his grip was too strong. "Let me go!" I cried out, my face growing pale. We began to fall faster, and I felt the vibrations of his chest against me as he laughed.

"Fair enough," he whispered. He pushed me away from his arms, and I let out a shriek. The ground was only a few yards away, and at that moment, I realized his plan. I never felt the impact as I was the first to touch the ground.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**((Rewritten))**

_No._ The word echoed through my empty mind as the showdown ended, and I found myself standing by Chase's side. My body had gone numb in shock, and I couldn't think at all. _No…this can't be happening!_

I felt dizzy on my feet as I tried to contemplate what had just happened. Chase Young had defeated me, and now I owed him…my eternal loyalty. A shiver ran down my spine at that thought. What on earth had I just done?

I managed to raise my eyes, and saw the other monks staring at me from across the room. Omi looked pale, Rai's eyes had this empty depth to them, and Clay seemed ready to tackle Chase to the ground. I wanted to say something to them, but my voice was stuck in my throat. I felt the corners of my eyes welling up with tears, and I hastily looked away.

"Keep your word," I managed to whisper hoarsely at last. I could tell Chase was smirking at me, though I refused to meet his eyes.

"As you wish," he responded smugly, and snapped his fingers. Every cat in the room began to move towards the guys, growling and hissing warningly. I tried to take a step forward, but Chase's hand curled around my arm and held me in place. The cats began to herd my friends towards the entrance, and they had no choice but to follow.

"Kimiko! No!"

I managed to look up to see Raimundo staring at me desperately, trying to push himself towards the cats towards me. They weren't exactly happy with him, and Clay had to yank him out of the way as one of the cats tried to swipe him across the chest. Slowly, I met his gaze, and tried to ignore the pain in his eyes.

"I have to," I said weakly. "As a Xiaolin monk I am bound by my word."

The tears in my eyes suddenly threatened to spill over, and I hastily turned away. The guys kept yelling at me, pleading for me to follow them, but my feet stayed glued to the ground. With a final set of growls, I heard the door swing shut, and I knew I was alone.

I yanked my arm away from Chase and stepped away from him, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall. His lair was completely silent, save the cats returning to their normal posts. Then, I heard footsteps and knew Chase was standing besides me. I snuck a look up at his face to see nothing but smugness, and my body bristled in anger.

He chuckled as he caught me watching him, and I hastily scowled back. His laugh sent a shiver down my spine, and another pang of grief struck me. How on earth was I going to survive with this man?

He brushed his hands together and turned to me, fixing that same stupid smirk upon his face. "Well, now that that's settled, its time I-"

"Are you going to turn me into a cat?" I interrupted, still refusing to meet his eyes. He laughed again, and the mere sound made me cringe.

"No. Why would I do that?"

"Isn't that what you do to all the warriors you defeat? Turn them into cats?" I spat viciously. He looked at me in amusement, and I found myself restraining myself from hitting him.

"It's been 1500 years since I last did that. Not that I can't anymore," he added on quickly. Chase stepped in front of me and looked straight down into my eyes. I felt my face pale, though I stared straight past him, willing myself not to meet his gaze. His smirk grew with my defiance, and he slowly reached out to lift my chin. I felt my body trembling in anger as he fixed his piercing gaze on me, and he held my face mere inches from his until I could avoid his reptilian eyes no longer.

"Besides," he murmured slowly, never taking his eyes off of me, "you're too pretty to be a cat."

I couldn't take it anymore. Something snapped inside of me, and I lost control of my temper in that one instant. Working up a wad of saliva, I spat directly into his face. With a hiss, he jerked away from me, and I quickly turned away, my eyes narrowed.

"Ugh!" he growled angrily, wiping the spit from his face with his palm. My own lips curved into a smirk and I wanted to laugh, but I half feared what Chase would do if I did. I smugly stared at him, while his piercing golden eyes glared at me. He clapped his hands, and two jungle cats behind us leapt down from their perches. Now, my gaze went uncertainly to them as they came to Chase's side.

"Take the girl to her room," he ordered, his voice almost a hiss. The cats fixed their gazes on me, and tried to nudge me forward. When I didn't move, Chase shoved me forward, and I yelped.

"Go with them," he said coolly. "If you have forgotten, you are eternally loyal to me now."

My body went cold at that little reminder, his words cutting me like a knife. I refused to look at him as I allowed the cats to begin to herd me away. On either side of me and with their teeth bared, they looked ready to attack if I did something wrong.

The cats led me to a stone corridor, and continued to push me through. Tall, blue and green glass windows, like the ones in the room I had just left, lined the walls. I looked around uncertainly, especially whenever we passed a door. The cats must have had some idea of where we were going, for as we continued to walk, a door farther down swung open at their approach. The cats shoved me in with their heads, and as I struggled to catch my balance, the door slammed back into place.

I immediately grabbed the handle and tugged at it furiously, but it didn't even budge an inch. I was locked in. This was getting better and better.

With an angry sigh, I turned around to examine my new surroundings. I was in a small, simple room, though it was by no means a prison cell, like I had been expecting. I faced a bed, loaded with black blankets, while a small wardrobe and a mirror lined the walls. Light streamed in from one of those stained glass windows, and I looked at it curiously. I couldn't see any landscape beyond the opaque glass, just light.

I tugged off my shoes and got into the bed, having nothing else to do until Chase summoned me again. I leaned back against the pillows and sighed heavily, unwilling to let my thoughts catch up to me. I could feel the exhaustion from the showdown and the past few days catching up to me at last, and slowly, I let my eyes close.

The calmness I had after losing the showdown left me in an instant. I was all alone in the lair of a powerful Heylin villain, and I had no hopes of leaving any time soon. After all, I had sworn my eternal loyalty to him.

…How long was eternal, anyways?

A shudder wracked my body, and I turned my thoughts to Raimundo, Omi and Clay. What if I never saw them again? I had managed to save their lives, thankfully, but I couldn't imagine living without them ever again. The seriousness of my predicament overcame me, and I struggled to keep myself from going hysterical.

There had to be a way out of this. Chase may have forced me to pledge my loyalty, but there was no way I was going to live the rest of my life as his puppet. I rolled over in the bed and stared out at the window, where the sun was just beginning to set. A stab of homesickness hit me as I wondered what the monks were doing now, but I fought it back and managed to close my eyes. _This can't be happening.

* * *

_

When I opened my eyes next, light was streaming in through the window directly on my face. Groggily, I pulled the blanket over my head and tried to go back to sleep…at least, until I remembered where I was. With a gasp, I shot up in the bed and looked around, my heart pounding in my chest.

My little room was empty, and I would have said it was cheerful with all the light coming in, if it hadn't been my prison. As the memories of the day before started to come back to me, I groaned and fell back into the thick blankets.

It had been hours since I had pledged my loyalty to Chase, and yet, I still had no plan on how exactly I was getting out of this mess.

Unwilling to get up just yet, I rolled over and closed my eyes. Only then, as my room went silent, did I realize it wasn't the light that had woken me. Murmurs of voices drifted into my room from outside my door, and I felt my stomach drop. The voices were both frighteningly familiar.

Slowly, I got out of bed and crept towards the door, careful not to make a sound. I paused on the side and pressed my ear to the smooth wood, my heart pounding all the while. I bit my lip and strained to hear the voices more clearly, almost fearful of what I might hear.

"So you have her then?" a woman's voice said quietly. I suppressed a gag as I realized who it was, though I made no move to get away from the door.

"Yes. I defeated her yesterday and was able to gain her pledge of eternal loyalty. No thanks to you, Wuya."

"I already told you, it wasn't my fault! That infernal boy-"

"Enough Wuya. What's done is done." There was a silence, and I found myself pressing up against the door harder to hear.

"Then it won't be long before-"

"No. I plan to start today, while the Xiaolin warrior still has her energy. She is spirited; it won't be easy to break her into the ways of evil…nor will it simple to take her Xiaolin essence away from her, if I am to strengthen my own powers."

I froze, my eyes widened in confusion. Chase planned to…break me? I felt my heart begin to pound faster, and my palms began to sweat. There was no way I was going to let him make me evil. And what did he mean when he said he would take my Xiaolin essence? My previously numb mind started whirling with questions, but Wuya quickly interrupted my thoughts.

"What will you do with her afterwards? Mind you, a body would be nice..."

"No, Wuya, we shall get you your body back in due course…I still need her after we share essences. The Xiaolin girl has great powers that even I cannot deprive from her. If I wish to rule the world, I need her by my side. Her own powers are necessary in the greater part of my plan."

There was another silence, and I suddenly found that it was hard to breathe. So, this is what Chase wanted from me all along? _My essence, my elemental powers, and me at his side, so he can rule the world?_

But why me? I couldn't help but think about that as the silence continued. I was only 14, and I had barely begun my Xiaolin training. Was I really powerful enough that a Heylin master needed me to take over the world?

"Excellent, excellent," murmured Wuya, "but…what about Jack?"

"That pathetic excuse for evil?" Chase scoffed, "what about him? If he gets in my way, I'll deal with him once and for all."

Wuya chuckled, and I could almost see Chase standing there with a smirk on his face. I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, anxious for them to continue talking. The more I knew about what Chase wanted, the better. Yet, as Chase continued, my body went cold.

"I'm ready to begin," Chase said, breaking the empty silence. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of his voice, and my heart began to pound faster. "I've waited fifteen hundred years for this. It's about time her training as a Heylin warrior began."

As his words hit my stunned ears, I knew I didn't have much time. I swore a curse under my breath and leapt away from the door as fast as my legs would carry me. I had only seconds before Chase came for me…before he tried to split my essence and join it with his…and before he would use my element to take over the world.

I ran away from the door and jumped into my bed, just as the door to my room burst open.

**((Review!))**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 12**

I lay as still as I could, my rigid body against the soft bed. With my eyes shut tight, I listened to footsteps grow louder as someone came closer to me.

The footsteps suddenly stopped and I knew that the person was right by my body. I felt warm air brush against my neck as they leaned in closer to me. My heart pounding faster, I felt their hand brush against my back.

Suddenly without warning, I flew off the bed and collided painfully with the wall. I rolled over and glared at the figure looming over me.

"Get up," Chase Young said calmly, "it's time for your training to begin."

I slowly got to my feet and straightened my self out, still glaring at him. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Come. There is a lot to be accomplished today." He stalked out of the room and I hastily followed.

Chase led us down the hall and through a couple more doors. After a couple minutes walking, he finally pushed open a large door and shoved me inside.

Closing the door behind us, torches along the walls lit up revealing a large circular room. Tall columns edged the room with a torch positioned high up on each one.

Chase walked to the center of the room and motioned me to follow. I slowly walked after him, my footsteps echoing loudly as I crossed the stone floor.

"Okay," he said, his arms crossed and looking bored. "Attack me."

"_What?_" I said, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Attack me. It is time you were trained to increase your elemental powers."

"Why? If you defeated me that easily in the Showdown, why should I attack you just to be beaten again?"

"You are not attacking me to try to win against me, you are attacking me to train and increase your elemental powers. You have pledged your loyalty to me whether you like it or not and you _will_ attack me _now_."

I sighed and hurled myself at him. I aimed an attack at him, ready to strike. His hands kept blocking mine with what looked like little effort.

"You are only using your martial art skills. I want you to use your elemental powers. Now attack me using your element."

I sighed again and prepared to attack Chase.

"Judollete Flip- Fire!" I yelled, and with my element, I aimed another attack at him. The force, which I had not felt since that night in the Vault suddenly returned to me.

Chase looked amused and dodged my attack. Without thinking, I suddenly released my element and what looked like a ball of fire went flying at him. Chase jumped out of the way of it as the ball hit a pillar behind him and extinguished with a shower of small flames.

As I prepared to release my element again, Chase came flying at me out of nowhere and tackled me to the ground. I let out a small groan as I collided with the stone floor.

Chase quickly rolled off me. Before I could get up, I felt my arms by my side being thrust against the floor by my head. Chase put his hands firmly over my wrists; he had me pinned.

"Good," he said, staring down at me while I struggled to free myself. "You are using your elemental powers. Soon I will train you to use them for evil."

I glared at him, but didn't look him in the eye. His eyes had this reptilian coldness to them, and if looked into the depth of his eyes, I felt like he had me under his control.

Chase seemed a little out of breath. I took this moment as my opportunity to free myself from his grasp. In one quick motion, I brought by knees up to my chest and kicked Chase off of me. He must have seen it coming though, for he was back on his feet in an instant.

"That's enough for now," Chase said. "We will continue your training later. Come, I expect you are hungry. You have not eaten in nearly two days."

He walked over to the door and opened it. I slowly got to my feet. My heart was pounding and I was almost out of breath. I had never trained this hard before with the other monks. In a creepy way, it kind of felt _good._ I pushed that thought to the back of my head.

Chase waited till I walked through the doorway and then followed me out. He quickly took the lead. Two cats appeared at his side, and some understanding must have passed between them, for the cats were suddenly behind me and growling because I wasn't walking fast enough. I quickened my pace.

We were soon in the large room that the Showdown had taken place in. Full daylight was streaming in from the stained glass windows and large stone fountains were gushing crystal clear water. A wooden table was standing in front of one of the windows. Two chairs were drawn up to it.

Chase walked over to the table and sat down at the head of it. He peered at the many dishes set in front of him, and then picked up a bowl of soup. I stood where I was, my hunger disappearing.

"Are you coming?" he asked, not bothering to look up. Chase had just picked up a magazine and was flipping through the pages.

I didn't respond, so Chase snapped his fingers. He pointed to the other chair, without moving his gaze from the magazine. The cats behind me pushed me forward towards the chair and I unwillingly walked to the table. I sat down after a menacing growl from one of the cats and crossed my arms.

"Well?" said Chase, his eyes still on the magazine. He was slowly sipping his soup and a disgusting smell wafted down the table. Somehow, it smelt like all the sorrow and death in the world; it smelt _evil. _"Are you going to eat anything?"

I looked at the cover page of the magazine. _EVIL _was written in large letters across the top; I couldn't make out any other words. I looked up to see something flying straight at me.

"Ow!" A muffin had just hit my forehead. I looked up to see Chase still sipping his soup and reading his magazine, his expression unchanged.

"Eat something."

I picked up the muffin and looked back at Chase.

"I think I'll eat it by the fountain."

He looked up at me, "you do that."

Avoiding glares from the cats, I headed to the fountain farthest away from him. Sitting on the edge, I slipped off my shoes and put my feet in the water.

Everything was so peaceful. I listened to the water trickling down stone and turned away from where Chase was sitting. My hunger overcame me and I ate the muffin, though I didn't trust it at all.

I yawned as a wave of tiredness swept over me. It wasn't the muffin, I was just tired from training. I lifted my feet out of the water and laid on the wide edge of the fountain, staring up at the stone ceiling.

A million thoughts swirled through my head, mostly about the conversation I had heard. My heart began to beat faster. I had totally forgotten about Chase's plan to take and split my essence with his.

_Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep_, I told myself. I blinked slowly, watching the torches on the wall grow hazy with light.

I closed my eyes, unknowing that I would soon succumb to darkness.

* * *

Chase Young watched the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire lay by the fountain. He laughed, knowing that she would soon be feeling the effects of the early morning training that he had forced her to do. It was all part of his plan.

"Wuya," he said to the floating ghost who had appeared by his side. "Come. It will be easiest to take her essence now…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 13**

I heard soft voices above me, but didn't pay them any attention. Thoughts swirled in and out of my mind. My body was awake, but my mind still wasn't. I felt my self being picked up, and then softly set own on what I could make out was a woven mat.

_It's just Raimundo,_ I told myself._ I fell asleep again playing Goos Zombies after training… _The voices above me grew louder, and as I slipped nearer and nearer to consciousness, I felt a cold breeze wash over me. My mind was clear.

There was a sudden eerie silence and at that moment, I knew something was wrong. I wasn't at the Xiaolin Temple.

The woman started to speak again, only this time her voice was louder. A strange feeling swept over me as she continued to speak. As I tried to register in my mind what was happening, I suddenly knew.

_No! _I snapped open my eyes. Wuya was hovering around in the air above me, and Chase was leaning against one of the stone walls, looking pleased. I tried to move, but my body wouldn't cooperate with my mind. My heart beat wildly inside of me. It only took a second to realize all this.

Wuya suddenly stopped speaking. I suddenly grew weak. There was complete silence. And then, it happened.

Small wisps of white mist began to rise from my body. I felt paralyzed as more rose into the air. It was my essence.

_No,_ my mind screamed. _No!_ My strength, my element, my powers, everything that made me an Xiaolin Dragon of Fire was being taken from me. I tried to scream, to get up, to prevent them from taking it, but I could only helplessly watch as my essence rose from within me. With each second that passed, more and more of my strength slipped away from me; I was paralyzed.

I helplessly gazed around the room and saw that the same thing was happening to Chase. He was clutching the wall as wisps of dark red mist rose out of his body.

The room was deathly silent as the last of my essence slipped away from me. It rose into the air and collected with the others. Slowly, an orb of bright light formed next to an orb of dark red.

Wuya began to speak again, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. The two orbs moved closer in the air, and began to spin. There was a flash of light and then, the two orbs combined. My essence disappeared within Chase's orb and mine within his. Two deep red new orbs began to descend towards us. His essence was so evil, that my essence formed by the Xiaolin side didn't make much of a difference.

I wanted to scream, to do something. I didn't want his essence inside of me. It was evil, the essence of a Heylin warrior.

The orb when it reached me began to form back into the wisps of smoke. But as the red wisps neared my body, I felt another strange sensation. I watched as slowly, flickering red flames of fire formed around my body. I felt warmth surround me, but cold at the same time. My heart beat even faster. What was happening?

When the combined essence reached the fire surrounding me, it turned into a pinkish color before disappearing back into me. I felt stronger as more entered; my essence was coming back to me, even if it did have traces of a Heylin essence in it.

A sudden thought struck me and I glanced over at Chase and Wuya. Neither of them seemed to notice the slowly dying flames as the last of my essence returned. Chase glanced at me, but turned away. They couldn't see it.

Finally, as the last of my essence disappeared back into me, my strength fully returned. Cautiously, I stood up. Wuya had disappeared by now, and Chase looked smug as he stood upright after leaning on the wall.

"You-" I began, my voice deadly soft.

"There is nothing you can do now, Dragon of Fire," Chase said calmly. "I have your essence and you have mine. We are bonded by a force not even I can control. With your essence, with you at my side, I can rule the world."

He strolled forward towards the mouth of the cave. The door opened quickly at his approach and I hurried after him. Light filled the dark passage way as we neared the outside.

Chase disappeared from sight as he went on ahead. I quickened my pace as I neared the outdoors.

Light filled my eyes. I stopped dead in my tracks

The sky was red. There were no living things on the ground, it was only a barren wasteland. Volcanoes erupted and filled the sky with ash and smoke. The rivers ran red, with fire licking at the banks. People screamed and the sky flickered with lightning.

I fell to my knees. _Fifteen hundred years of darkness._

* * *

I stared almost helplessly at the destroyed land in front of us. Chase laughed and gazed at the world, a triumphant look on his face. My heart stopped cold when I thought of the other monks. _Where were they now?_

I quickly scanned the earth below us, and let out a sigh of relief when I saw the Xiaolin Temple, still standing and looking untouched. A sudden dread came over me, and I felt Chase's cold eyes watching mine. Slowly, he shifted his gaze to where I was staring. He smiled.

"Good," he said slowly, never taking his eyes off of the Temple. "We will eliminate all who will be a threat to us, and my rule of the world."

I suddenly felt lightheaded, even though I knew this was coming at one time or another. My heart pounded faster as Chase beckoned me to follow him. He began to walk along a path cut into the wall of the rock of his cave. I began to move automatically with him, there was nothing I could do to stop myself. I was eternally loyal to him.

We walked down the path in silence, the only noises were the screams of the terrified people below us and the fire crackling against the sky. Soon we reached a cliff and here Chase stopped. The Xiaolin Temple was closer to us.

Chase walked forward to the edge and gazed down. His eyes met mine for a moment and a smirk formed on his face.

"Come here, Dragon of Fire," he said quietly. I unwillingly walked to the edge and joined him. "Now that we are bonded by our essences, your powers are greater, as are mine. It is time to test your element, and let the Heylin essence inside of you unfold."

I stared defiantly back at him, but did not say a word.

"Destroy them," Chase said, and pointed at the Temple. My eyes widened in shock and Chase stepped back.

I summoned my element to me, while my mind screamed in protest. Because I had sworn my loyalty to Chase, I had to do what he said.

Fire erupted from my finger tips and I put my hands together, and then pulled them apart a couple of inches. I had formed a small ball of fire.

"Please don't make me do this," I pleaded my voice barely a whisper. Chase came up behind me and put his hands around mine. Together, our hands pulled farther apart and the fire grew larger and more intense. Soon the fire was larger than our figures and it blazed wildly in front of us.

"Release your element," Chase whispered into my ear. I closed my eyes tightly and let go.

I felt the fire leave my hands and fly through the sky towards the Xiaolin Temple, ready to destroy everything in its path…


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 14**

_The Xiaolin Temple_

"So," said Raimundo. "This is 1500 years of darkness."

He stood with the other Xiaolin Monks facing the destroyed land around them. The group was silent as they gazed at the burning red earth, the sky covered by smog, smoke and clouds. Master Fung walked up slowly behind him, Dojo at his side.

"Now that Kimiko has sworn her loyalty to Chase Young, he will be stronger than ever by her powers. I have no doubt that he will soon try to entirely take them from her, "he said slowly. His face was solemn, and even Dojo had an ominous expression.

Raimundo scowled and turned away from the barren wasteland. "What do we do then? Chase is too strong for us to defeat him, and we can't hurt Kimiko."

Master Fung was silent for a minute as he too stared pensively at the earth. "For now, we do nothing. Chase will choose to attack us first, as we are the only ones who are a threat for him. We should expect an attack from him within the next few days. So for now, we watch and wait."

Omi and Clay soon came over to where Master Fug, Dojo and Raimundo were standing. Clay licked his finger and put it into the air. His expression soon furrowed and he looked around.

"The air is too still," he said at last. "Them no good varmint is up to something. Well, Chase Young at least," Clay added on quickly.

"Perhaps he intends to attack us now?" inquired Omi. "For if he does, I will be most prepared and show him that _I_ am not to be defeated! I will surely trounce upon his buttocks!"

Raimundo rolled his eyes and sighed. "Even at the end of the world, Omi, you still find a way to enlarge your ego and mess up your slang…"

"Maybe Omi, but something is wrong; I can feel it in the air."

"Then as you say, something is most definitely watery?"

Raimundo smacked his forehead with his hand. "Fishy, Omi! Fishy!"

Omi looked around and frowned. "I am not seeing any fish Raimundo. Where exactly are you viewing them?"

"It's a figure of speech Omi," Clay said.

"Young Monks," interrupted Master Fung. "Fifteen hundred years of darkness have just begun and Chase Young is looking into killing us all; you stand here arguing about colloquial speech. I expect all of you to keep a lookout for _anything_. Chase will not waste his time in destroying you." With his last sentence, he walked back into the Temple, Dojo nervously slithering after him.

"Master Fung is right," Clay said, "Chase Young could attack us at any minute." He rummaged around in his pocket until he grasped the object he was looking for and pulled it out.

"Falcon's eye!" he called out. Clay held it up to his eye and gazed around the Temple. He looked across the mountains in front of them, but suddenly returned to the spot; something had caught his eye. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you see Clay?" asked Omi. Clay narrowed his eyes and peered through the Falcon's Eye.

"It's….it's Kimiko!"

"Kimiko?!" said Raimundo. "Let me see." Clay handed him the Shen Gong Wu and Raimundo held it up.

"What is she doing?" questioned Omi.

"I can't really tell. She's just standing there," Raimundo said. "Oh wait, Chase is there behind her. He's saying something to her."

"And?" said Clay.

"Now she's moving her hands. Kimiko looks like she's going to faint."

"Allow me to view Kimiko and Chase Young," Omi said eagerly.

"Hold on, Omi," replied Raimundo. "She just said something; I don't have a good feeling about this, guys."

"None of us do, Raimundo," said Clay solemnly. Raimundo looked closer into the Falcon's Eye.

"_No_," he whispered, his eyes growing wide.

"What?" questioned Omi. But there was no need for him to explain. The three Xiaolin Monks stood frozen as they watched Kimiko release her element, and send it hurtling their way, ready to destroy the Temple, the last Xiaolin Dragons and anything in its path.

* * *

The three Xiaolin Monks stood frozen, only watching the fire drawl nearer and nearer to them. It was an attack they'd all anticipated, and yet, they did nothing.

Raimundo was the first to snap out of the unearthly trance they had all been in. He tossed the Falcon's Eye to Clay and ran to the path where the fire would hit.

"Wind!" he shouted, the fire only yards from where he stood. With his element, he drew up a large blast of wind and aimed it at Kimiko's attack. The wind directly hit the fast approaching fire. The impact hit Raimundo with such force that he was blown off his feet. The fire came faster towards them.

"Omi!" he screamed, "help me!" Raimundo released his element again, and managed to stay on his feet, but he was struggling to keep the fire back; his small elemental attack was no match for Kimiko's. The fire flew towards them, now closer than ever. Raimundo felt the heat of the flames touch him.

Within seconds Omi, was by his side and ready to destroy the fire. "Water!" he shouted, and released his element. The water soared up to the raging ball of fire, but never reached it. Instead, it turned to steam as it came in contact. Omi tried again, but the water still turned to steam as the fire drew nearer.

"Raimundo, I cannot douse it with my element!" Omi cried. Beads of sweat ran down Raimundo's face as he struggled to keep the fire away. Even so, he felt himself sliding backwards as the force of the fire overcame him.

"Omi, Rai; catch!" called Clay from behind them. He turned to see Clay holding the Sword of the Storm and Orb of Tornami.

"One, two, three!" he said under his breath, and let go of his element. The fire advanced full speed, and the heat grew more intense. Clay tossed him the Sword of the Storm, and within seconds, Raimundo was facing the fire again.

"Orb of Tornami-Ice!" yelled Omi. He let out a powerful blast of ice and watched it curve upwards to the flame. A second later, Raimundo was ready with his Shen Gong Wu.

"Sword of the Storm!" he shouted. The wind blew up against the ice as it slowly froze. Together, Omi and Raimundo formed a thick, icy dome over the temple. The Xiaolin Monks almost fell over with relief as they watched the fire come closer to them through the icy glass.

"This will only give us a minute," said Clay quickly. "Once that fire touches your shield, it'll melt right through like a popsicle in the middle of the desert."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence, Clay," Raimundo said sarcastically.

"Raimundo, this is no time for mockery. Chase Young's attack will hit us any second, and we must be prepared to burn it out," Omi said.

"You mean Kimiko's attack," Raimundo said quietly. Suddenly, the air grew still. It seemed as if time itself had stopped, and there was a certain uneasiness surrounding them.

"Here it comes," said Omi loudly. "Quickly Raimundo, ready your Shen Gong Wu. Clay- Clay where have you gone?" He looked around to see that Clay had disappeared. "Where is Clay?"

"Probably couldn't stand the heat Omi. Quickly, it's going to hit us any second-" But as he barely finished his last word, there was a deafening sound of escaping steam as the attack impacted the ice shield. Light reached across the Temple in every direction, and the air heated intensely.

"Orb of Tornami-Ice!"

"Sword of the Storm!"

As the powerful fire melted almost through the ice shield, Omi and Raimundo began to put more of a defense around the Temple. Ice layer after ice layer formed on the part of the dome where the fire was burning through. The noise of melting ice roared all around them, and the eerie light of the fire through ice filled their eyes.

"Raimundo!" Omi called through all the noise, "our efforts are not proving victorious! Her attack is too strong- we cannot win!"

"Maybe not, Omi," Raimundo shouted back, "but we still have to protect the Temple!"

They continued to block themselves from the fire, but could only watch helplessly as their defense did nothing to stop the flames except to slow it.

"Raimundo, Omi- quick!" yelled Clay from behind them. "Your attacks aren't going to work."

"Then what are we supposed to do?!" screamed Raimundo.

"Leave it to me," Clay shouted back. He advanced to in front of them, a small black object in his hand. "Omi, be ready with your Orb of Tornami!"

"Clay, I do not understand!" Omi yelled.

"Trust me! Just stop your attacks when I tell you to!"

Omi and Raimundo put one last layer on between them and the flames as Clay positioned himself in front of him. Narrowing his eyes, he thrust the object he was holding out."

"Now!" he screamed. Instantly, they fell back behind him as the fire melted through, ready to destroy them all. The heat intensified greatly; they could almost feel the flames burning their own skin.

"Black Beetle!" yelled Clay. The object he was holding transformed instantaneously into a large black boat. He pushed it up on its side so that it was right in the path of the fire and so he Omi, and Raimundo were right behind it. "Brace yourselves!" he screamed over the sound of the fast approaching, roaring, searing fire.

Within a second, the fire had hit them full force. Clay stood erect against the Black Beetle, putting all of his weight against it as the impact forced him to cave in. Hot, fiery air blasted past them, threatening to scorch them as the fire blazed on in front of them. Luckily, the enlarged Black Beetle was enough to shelter them from the flames. They stood at the entrance to the Xiaolin Temple, hoping their meager blockade was enough to stop the flames from destroying the Temple.

"Quick Omi- now!" yelled Raimundo. Omi whipped out his Orb of Tornami and bravely inched to the side of the Black Beetle. Raimundo went to the other side with his Sword of the Storm, and held it out in front of him.

"Orb of Tornami- water!" he yelled. Water flooded out of the sphere and onto the raging fire. Instantly, clouds of boiling steam rose into the air.

"Sword of the Storm!" Raimundo called. Wind streamed out of the Shen Gong Wu and pushed the steam away. It was a chaotic scene, as none of the monks could hear, see or feel anything but wind, steam and heat. And then, all was silent.

The wind whipping around them stopped as Raimundo lowered the Sword of the Storm, and the steam cleared away. Omi peered cautiously around the Black Beetle, and then stepped out from behind it.

"Raimundo, Clay my friends! We have triumphed over Chase Young! Come and see, "Omi shouted. The two Xiaolin Monks carefully stepped out of their shelter of the Black Beetle. Clay shrunk it back to its original size, and placed it in his pocket.

The trees were burnt down to charred stumps, and a thick black ash covered the ground. Steam rose from the earth, and a smoky haze added to the red sky above them. The Temple buildings were scorched, and burned through in some places, mostly close to the site where they were standing. Other than that, there seemed to be no serious damage.

Raimundo sighed with relief and dropped to his knees. His breathing was labored and slow as he struggled to catch his breath.

"I…don't…know how…we…managed…..to pull…that off…" he panted.

"Easy partner," Clay said. "Don't celebrate yet; Chase Young may try to finish us off again."

"Oh, I am most doubtful!" said Omi enthusiastically, "I have shown him that _I_ am not to be messed with!"

Clay and Raimundo shot him reproachful looks.

"We…we have shown Chase Young," he added on quickly, a blush forming across his face.

"Maybe Omi," said Clay. "But for now, we have to be ready for any attacks. We watch- and wait."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 15**

The air around me was still and silent. I could feel a sense of alarm surrounding me, and felt sick with worry. My head throbbed with thoughts and my body felt heavy in the air. I didn't want to open my eyes, dreading what I might see in front of me. _How could I have done that?_

An uneasy silence surrounded me as time passed. Chase stood beside me, watching what my attack had brought upon my friends. I heard a loud roar, and then all was silent. Chase grunted beside me.

"You can open your eyes now," he said crossly. His tone of voice was different than what I had expected, yet I was still filled with fear at what I had done. Slowly, I opened my eyes and gazed down at the Temple. I light out a sigh of relief. _They had defeated my attack!_

Chase stepped forward to my side and gazed at the Xiaolin Temple.

"I did not expect you to defeat them, Kimiko," he said smoothly. "You have only just begun your Heylin training. Soon you will learn to crave evil, and use Heylin attacks to increase your element. You have great powers, Dragon of Fire. It's about time you learned to use them."

He began to walk along the tiny path again, going back to his lair. I glanced once more at the Xiaolin Temple, and hurried after him. We entered the cool stone passageway and into his lair. Only then did he turn and face me.

"You have done a lot today," he said. "You are proving to me that great elemental powers reside in you. We will continue to train you tomorrow. But for now," Chase snapped his fingers, and two large jungle cats appeared at his side.

I blinked heavily as what I thought was anger swelled inside of me. Chase said something to the cats, but I didn't hear. I found out soon enough though, as the cats were suddenly snarling behind me and pushing me forward.

I was forced out of the room with the glass windows and pushed through the stone corridors, the cats growling behind me. One of the cats stopped at a door and nudged it with his nose. It swung open as they pushed me inside.

The door swung firmly shut again. I tried the handle. To no surprise, it was locked. I pounded my fists on the solid door. "Let me out!" I shouted.

After a few minutes of silence, I scowled and turned back into my room. Closing my eyes, I leapt onto the bed and collided with the soft blankets. I opened my eyes softly, but then cried out in shock. _I had no body!_

Screaming and sitting upright, I realized that my clothes had blended in with the black blankets. I sighed and fell back into the bed.

_But wait_, that little voice said in the back of my mind. _You were wearing red robes. _I bounded out of bed and stood upright against the smooth stone floor. Looking at myself in the mirror, I gasped and nearly fell over.

My robes had turned pitch black. The sleeves and neckline were edged in a strip of red, as were my thin pants, which were now black also. I cursed and glared daggers at the mirror, hoping Chase would come just so I could attack him.

I stomped over to the door and began to pound on it again, just incase someone was passing by. "Chase Young, I hate you!" I screamed to no one.

I swore I could hear someone laughing on the other side.

* * *

An hour passed, and I was still locked away. There were no clocks, so I couldn't tell what time it was. Judging by the angle of the light through my window, I guessed it was almost three o' clock.

A sandwich had somehow appeared beside my bed, which satisfied my hunger. I didn't trust any of the food given to me, but I still had to eat. I paced around the room, trying to find away to get out of my situation.

I couldn't just walk up to Chase Young and challenge him to a showdown. He would refuse. _Besides, I had already sworn him my eternal loyalty. He could probably force me to do what ever he wanted._ I shivered. _That didn't sound good._

In spite of what I had done today, I couldn't find it within me to sleep. Energy filled me as I recklessly paced around the room. And then, I heard voices. I strained to listen and found that who ever was talking was outside my window.

I edged near the opaque glass, careful not to let my shadow be seen. Putting my head against the wall, I found that I could just make out what the people were saying. I recognized the speakers almost at once; it was Chase and Wuya again.

"How has it gone so far?" murmured Wuya. There was a slight pause.

"Better than I expected. She is no longer resisting my commands. Soon, she will be broken into the ways of evil. But she has also disappointed me."

"In what ways?"

"Kimiko should have been able to destroy the other Xiaolin monks and the Xiaolin Temple with little effort, especially now that our essences are bonded. The evil within my essence should have been enough for her to attack them with no hesitation."

There was another silence as I listened, my heart pounding in my chest.

"She has powers within her, even greater than I have ever imagined. When you bonded us, her own chi purified my essence before it entered within her. That is why she resisted against attacking them." Here Chase paused again. "I blame you, Wuya, for this."

"Me?! I paralyzed the girl so she could not resist against us! I used my strongest essence-binding spell so that _you_ could take over the world! And you blame _me_?"

"_Yes."_

"Maybe if you had given me more of my powers back-"

"_Enough_ Wuya. What's done is done. We are still bonded together, for the most part."

Another silence filled the air as I strained to hear more. I trembled slightly and frowned. _He was planning for his evil to overtake me,_ she thought. _His essence._

"Has she progressed in her elemental forces?" Wuya said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Greatly. Kimiko has begun to use her element, even after just one training, in ways she never has before. I am deeply pleased that she relies greatly on Heylin energy to fuel her attacks. When I first returned, my presence was composed entirely of Heylin energy that I directed on her. But now, she has begun to create the energy herself."

I froze, paralyzed in shock._ I was using Heylin energy!? _I stepped back from the window, and began to pace around the room again, this time more ferociously. Thoughts poured through my mind, making my head hurt. I sat down on the bed and cradled my head in my hands, thinking about what I had heard.

Coming to my senses, I shook my head and walked towards the door. I knew what I wanted; I wanted out. I just wanted to go back to the Temple, no matter what the costs.

Rattling on the door, I found that it was still locked. I bit my lip as I thought for a moment, then stepped back and narrowed my eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I moved my hands in front of me and calmed my mind. Letting the force - no, _Heylin energy_, I corrected, fill my body, I cleared my mind and focused on the door.

"Fire I shouted!" At once, I could feel my body radiating with immense heat. I felt like I had become the flames, and my mind was the fuel. I called on the sun, not really knowing why, and felt searing hot fire leave my hands. My body was cold and hot at the same time, just as when my powers had purified Chase's essence.

I suddenly blinked, and realized that the fire was gone. The room seemed peaceful, compared to the chaos I had just controlled. I turned my head to the door, and smiled.

There was no door, only a thick pile of ash and soot surrounding the frame. Stepping around the ash, I glanced down the stone hallway to see if any cats were prowling around. I stepped gingerly out into the hallway, then dashed down the corridor.

Taking the path I had memorized, I soon navigated my way back to the great room with the stained glass windows and fountains. Glancing around to see if anyone was there, I quickly ran over to the enormous door blocking my way out.

I pushed on it hopefully, thinking it might open, but the door didn't budge. Neither did it move when I crashed into it or when I snapped my fingers. It was shut tightly.

Taking a deep breath, I stood back and summoned my element in the same way I had before. Fire burst from my palms, and I held the blaze in front of me, ready to strike.

"Do you really have to burn down my door?" a cool voice said behind me. My heart froze, and I turned around. Chase Young stood there smugly, tons of jungle cats surrounding him.

He walked forward as I gulped nervously, the fire still burning in my palms. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked calmly. His golden eyes met mine and I quickly looked away. His eyes could haunt inside you somehow. I didn't want to go there.

"Umm," I said anxiously. "Out?" Chase smiled at me smugly and approached the door. It opened at his advance. He motioned for me to go out of his lair.

Unsure of what to do, I doused my fire and slowly walked forward. He didn't follow me. As I reached the passageway, I began to run. There were no sounds of jungle cats behind me, or even footsteps. Quickly, I reached the outside light and looked around. _How would I get back to the Temple?_

I walked forward to the edge of the rock and looked down. _I could probably climb down it,_ I told myself. I neared the edge and swung a foot over. But my leg collided with something hard, not even as it went over the side.

Puzzled, I stood up and put my hands out in front of me. They crumpled against a cool surface right in front of me. I narrowed my eyes and punched out, only to have my fist collide with the surface again. I cried out; it was some sort of shield.

I hit the shield again and again, not quite believing what was happening. I couldn't see anything, yet something was holding me back from leaving. And then it hit me. _I can't leave_, I thought. _I'm an idiot._

I didn't hear the footsteps behind me as I punched the surface again. Suddenly, I felt a cool breath on the back of my neck. I shivered.

"You cannot ever leave," Chase whispered into my ear. "You are mine. Now, and _forever_."


	15. Chapter 15

**((Credit goes to Bewarethedarkness for the line __****"I swore my loyalty to a bad guy, destroyed the temple and caused fifteen hundred years of darkness. If I ever get out of this, I'm gonna be scrubbing toilets for a decade!" Thanks so much!))**

**Chapter 16**

I gasped and opened my eyes. My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to sit up. Opening my eyes wildly, I discovered that I was back in my room, now sitting on the bed. I groaned and collapsed back onto the blankets.

Light was barely streaming through the stained glass windows as I sat up again. I froze, listening to see if Chase and Wuya had woken me up again. I heard nothing.

The quiet in my room was suddenly disrupted as the door burst open. I bolted upright, thinking that I had burnt down the door. Sure enough, a new one was in its place.

Two large jungle cats darted into my room. I jumped out of bed and stood before them, my arms crossed. They growled impatiently, their tails flicking towards the open door. I raised an eyebrow.

"I assume Chase wants me, doesn't he?"

The cats responded by nudging me roughly towards the door. I sighed and walked back out, one cat in front of me and one cat behind.

I guess I still wasn't trusted enough to walk by myself.

* * *

A few minutes later, we entered the large circular room where Chase and I had trained on the first day. The room was empty. Looking behind me, I saw that the jungle cats had left and the door was securely locked again.

I advanced to the center of the circle as the torches lit upon the walls instantly. Crossing my arms, I looked around the room for Chase, but I couldn't see him anywhere. Scowling, I remembered when I had first met him at the Vault. I looked up.

At once, a dark figure came flying out of nowhere. I instantly rolled out of the way and summoned my element. Fire burst from my hands. At once, the shadow ran towards me, preparing to attack. As he swung his arms to knock me down, I jumped up so he touched nothing but air. Looking down, I saw Chase standing below me, readying himself to attack again. Thrusting my hands forward, I screamed, "Fire!"

He dodged my element as I landed. At once, I threw myself at him, preparing to punch him. Chase dodged the first two and then blocked one of my attacks with his arm. He swung his foot out, attempting to knock me down, but I jumped again and kicked him square in the chest. Chase stumbled backwards before he regained his balance. Once again, fire came to my fingertips.

I was using Heylin energy; I could tell. But something deep within me wouldn't let me stop. I felt like screaming, but my body refused to listen. All I wanted was to defeat Chase.

My heart was racing as the Heylin energy made my element stronger. Cupping my hands, I made the fire form into a small, intense sphere. Then letting it go, I aimed directly at Chase. He dodged it yet again, but just barely. He rebounded, running partially up the wall and flipping down at me, ready to kick me. I quickly rolled out of the way and responded by aiming my fire along the floor. As Chase landed, my element burst up into an intense flame around him. I shielded my eyes from the light.

Suddenly, the air became quiet. I looked to where Chase had been, but all that was there was a circle of singed ground. Lowering my hands, my element quickly faded. I heard a rustle behind me, and I whirled around. But it was too late.

Chase lunged at me, looking untouched. I tried to dodge him, but he tackled me to the floor, his arms around my waist. I hit the floor with a loud thud.

Chase quickly rearranged his grip on me so that my hands were suddenly forced up by my head. Once hand pinned me down firmly to the floor. Squirming under his grasp, Chase Young looked down at me evilly, a pleased expression on his face._ Déjà vu…_

"Very good little one," he said, looking me up and down. I glared at him with all my might."You are using your Heylin powers to boost your element. Soon, you never use any of your old Xiaolin attacks, and you will be fully trained in the ways of evil."

I froze as I heard this. I would _never_ give up my Xiaolin training to become a Heylin warrior. Struggling to free myself of his strong grip, I looked up to see that Chase's long black hair was slightly singed.

Slightly smiling, I muttered, "Not if I can help it!" Bringing my legs up to my chest, I tried to thrust him off of me. When Chase didn't budge, I whispered, "Fire!"

Fire burst from my hands, above where Chase was holding me down. While he was distracted by the sudden intense heat, I kicked up my legs once more. He toppled down to the floor away from me, but quickly jumped to his feet. Thrusting my body upwards, I quickly stood facing him, my hands clenched into fists and fire radiating from around them. When Chase saw this, he smiled. I narrowed my eyes.

"There is more evil within you than I thought. You are making great progress, Dragon of Fire."

My element disappeared at once as I dropped my hands to my side in shock. _No!_ I wanted to scream._ I am not evil! I am a Xiaolin Dragon, not a Heylin warrior! _But I didn't say anything.

Chase smiled again as he advanced on me. "It is time for the second part of your training today; putting your powers to the test."

Within a second, he curled his arm firmly around my waist and pulled me close to his body. I was too startled to scream, but instantly I tried to escape his strong clutch once again. My arms were pinned to my sides by his arm, so I could no nothing.

"Let me go!" I finally gasped. "What are you doing?!"

Chase looked down at me. "You'll see in a moment."

I shut my eyes firmly as Chase said something aloud. And then, it happened. It felt like we were using the Golden Tiger Claws. Wind rushed past my face as we were hurtled forward. I almost could feel myself slipping away into whatever we were in, but Chase kept a firm grip around me. I opened my eyes a crack to see that we were in some sort of gray vortex. Looking up at Chase, I saw that he looked unaffected, and rather bored. Suddenly, we plummeted downwards. The scream never left my throat as I shut my eyes once again; slightly afraid about what was happening.

The plunge stopped in a few seconds. I crashed down into solid ground on my knees, my heart pounding loudly in my chest. I gasped for air as I looked up in Chase, who was standing calmly beside me. Thick, swirling smoke surrounded us.

"What…was…that?" I managed to say. Chase shrugged.

"A faster way of Heylin travel. You will get used to it in time." He pulled me up to my feet as I looked around.

"Where are..." I looked down at the ground and saw wet ash. My stomach dropped with a sickening lurch, instantly knowing where we were.

"Yes Kimiko, the Xiaolin Temple. You are here to defeat them, so that no one will ever threaten our rule of the world."

"No! You can't- you can't make me!"

"Yes I can. You pledged your eternal loyalty to me. Dragon of Fire_, you will do as I say!_"

The smoke was thinning out quickly; soon it was just a mist covering us. I could make out the buildings of the Xiaolin Temple, and some figures before us. It seemed to be hours what just happened in a second.

And then, Chase stepped forward as the smoke cleared from around us.

* * *

Raimundo wiped sweat off his forehead, leaving in its trail a line of black ash. Almost all of the Temple grounds were burnt, singed, and covered with wet ash. It had been the monk's duty to clean up the mess.

Digging through the foot of ash near the Temple entrance, Raimundo's hand came in contact with something hard. Pulling it through, he wiped off a bit of soot to reveal the Falcon's Eye. Sighing, he stuck it in his pocket.

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke burst from in front of him. Startled, he fell over onto the dirty ground as the smoke cleared instantly. He looked up to see a man standing over him.

"Chase Young!" he gasped as he scrambled backwards onto his feet. He went into a fighting position as Omi and Clay rushed up to his side. "What do you want?!"

Chase Young smiled at them with an evil smirk on his face. "I have someone to introduce to you." He swept his arm back as I stepped out from behind him.

"Kimiko!" Omi exclaimed. I tried to smile at them, but it felt like I was smirking rather than smiling. _What was going on?_

"Kimiko, _Heylin_ Dragon of Fire," Chase said, turning to me. "Destroy them."

I bit my lip and nodded, as the guys looked on in astonishment. Narrowing my eyes, I hurled myself at Omi. His eyes widened as he dodged quickly out of the way. Clay and Raimundo were on me in a second. I jumped up into the air to avoid them as they came on either side of me. On my way down, I spread my legs and kicked each of them hard in their chest. They flew backwards and away from me, landing heavily on their backs.

My mind was screaming as I watched Clay fall. It felt like my insides were being ripped apart, it hurt so bad to do this to my friends. But I could do nothing to stop myself; I was on Chase's orders. Tears formed at the edge of my eyes as I went once again for Omi.

The little monk was ready for me. As I prepared my self to punch him, he whipped out of the way and attacked me from behind. As I fell, I quickly did a front flip and landed squarely on my feet. I narrowed my eyes; Omi would not hesitate to attack me, knowing the damage I had already done. I rapidly swung my leg out into the back of Omi's knees. He crumpled to the ground.

Raising my hands in front of me, I yelled, "Fire!" My element burst from my hands as I prepared to attack Omi. He quickly rolled out of the way and stood up, spread his hands and summoned his element, just as I had released mine.

Water and Fire met at the same moment. The impact unsteadied both of us until we pushed back our strength through our individual elements. I wasn't even tired; things were just beginning to warm up.

Barring my teeth, I put all my strength into the blazing fire in front of me. Neither side shifted as hot steam rose into the air and blurred my vision. Finally, I took a deep breath and let the Heylin energy fill me totally. Thrusting weight into my element, I closed my eyes and released a large blast of fire.

I snapped my eyes open to see Omi staring in shock. His attack was no match for mine. I watched as the fire overcame him. Omi flew off his feet and disappeared behind a severely burnt row of bushes.

My eyes shifted to Clay, who had just gotten onto his feet. Although he was nearly three times bigger and stronger than I was, I knew using his strength against him would be the key. Taking a running start and doing a flip in the air, I aimed my foot directly into Clay to get him off balance. But he just merely grabbed my foot, swung me around and let me go. I hit the ground and skidded backwards hard on my back. Ignoring the fresh pains, I jumped to me feet and dashed towards him.

As Clay aimed to attack me again, I hurled myself straight at him. He swung his fist in attempt to knock me off my feet, but I quickly swerved behind him in a sharp turn. Clay whipped around as my fist connected with his jaw. Now that he was off balance, I took my advantage. Summoning my element, I threw an intense ball of fire directly into his stomach. He crashed into a burnt tree, knocking it down.

Taking a deep breath, I looked for where Raimundo had gone. My body felt heavy with despair as I looked around the nearly destroyed Xiaolin Temple. Almost everything was burnt, scorched or singed, though mostly towards the front of the gardens and the entrance to the temple. Luckily, most of the buildings were only slightly scorched.

A flicker of movement caught my eye. Turning around quickly, I saw Raimundo slowly stand up from the ashes. "Don't do this Kim," he said wearily.

It was then that I realized how overpowered my friends are. All of them were covered in ash, grime and soot, bearing scorched clothes and had many small burns, thanks to my last attack. I didn't want to hurt Raimundo, neither did I want to hurt Clay and Omi. But since I had sworn my loyalty to Chase Young, I had to.

"_Finish him,"_ growled Chase from behind me. My heart pounded loudly in my chest.

"I'm sorry Rai," I whispered. And then, I summoned my element.

* * *

Raimundo widened his eyes as I released fire directly into his path. He dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way as I hurled myself towards him. Jumping to his feet, he managed to block the few punches and kicks I threw his way. Quickly, I leaped over his head and handed behind him, preparing to attack him from behind. Rai whirled around and dodged it just in him; my fist trailed along his cheek where it would have been a hard impact.

"Kimiko!" Rai yelled at me as I went at him again. "Stop! You don't have to do this!"

I grimaced and kicked him in the chest as his fist connected with my shoulder. "I have to Rai."

"No you don't. Don't listen to Chase; listen to us! We're your friends, you don't have to do what he's telling you to!"

"It's not that simple," I exclaimed angrily. I rammed my fist into his gut as his legs swung at mine. Loosing my balance, I quickly jumped to a fighting stance, my fists held protectively in front of me. Fire began to form around them as I summoned my element.

"It can be," Raimundo replied, his hair blowing wildly around him as he prepared to fight me with his element. "Kimiko, you're a Xiaolin Dragon! You don't belong to the Heylin side; you have to fight it!"

He was tearing my mind and body apart. I fought back the emotive pain within me and threw my fire directly at him. Raimundo barely blocked it with wind as he struggled to keep my attack away from him.

"I can't fight it Rai! It's inside of me! Chase and I bonded our essences; my essence is in him and his is in me! There will always be evil inside of me no matter what! Wuya bounded us together, and I can't break it myself."

I watched as Raimundo stared at me in horror. He seemed to forget he was fighting me, but I took my advantage. As Raimundo froze for a second, I filled my palms with fire and aimed to punch him in his chest. He snapped back to reality when the flames collided with him. Quickly, he formed a small tornado and aimed it at me, but I just calmly walked through, fire blazing around me and my hair blowing in the wind.

"Besides," I said, surprised at how choked my voice came out. I smiled weakly at him. "I swore my loyalty to a bad guy, destroyed the temple and caused fifteen hundred years of darkness. If I ever get out of this, I'm gonna be scrubbing toilets for a decade!"

I ducked as Raimundo jumped over me. Spinning around, I flipped directly onto Raimundo and knocked him down. Pinning his arms by his sides, I lowered myself so my face was inches from his.

"_Listen,"_ I hissed quietly. "I can't stop myself from doing this. Chase is taking control of me. If he keeps me with him much longer, his essence will take over me!_ Rai_, god you don't how much it hurts me to be doing this. But you have to help me! You, Omi and Clay have to do something to break me away from Chase Young; it'll end his rule on the world and I'll have my freedom again. I can't do anything to help. I know I got myself into this mess, but I'll need your help to get out. Raimundo, you have to do it soon! We're both getting stronger, and before long, he'll force me to kill you! He might even want me to do that today."

Raimundo struggled under my grasp as I pinned him down. He narrowed his eyes as I finished and kicked me off of him. But I could tell by his expression that he understood. I flickered my gaze towards Chase; he hadn't heard. I took a deep breath and prepared to attack Raimundo once more.

But before I had a chance to prepare, Raimundo caught me with a large blast of wind. Instinctively, I covered my face as my eyes began to tear. Then, out of nowhere, Rai suddenly jumped right in front of me. His foot came down on my chest. I hit the ashy ground and skidded backwards ten feet. My head smarting, I felt someone pull me to my feet and thrust me forward. It was Chase.

"Enough fooling around," Chase growled in my ear. "Finish him now!" He put his hand on my shoulder and closed his eyes.

And then, energy overcame me. It reached throughout my body as I felt myself growing strong. A circle of fire formed around me on the ground. Slowly, the flames began to get bigger and they swirled up around me. Narrowing my eyes, I felt power like I had never possessed before. Without my consent, fire began to wrap its way around my arms and into my palms. Heat radiated off of me, making my hair blow around me, but I could feel nothing. Putting my hands out in front of me, I felt incredible energy.

"_Heylin power lava strike FIRE!" _

The words escaped my lips before I could stop them. For a moment, I saw nothing but flame, felt nothing but intense heat. The roar of fire surrounded me, temporarily blocking me from the rest of the world. Suddenly, the flames around me disappeared.

I watched as a powerful sphere of fire flew directly into Raimundo. Horrified at what I had done, I saw, as if slow motion, Raimundo fly severely off his feet and slam into the temple wall, ash surrounding him. The wall cracked and pieces fell around him as he toppled to the ground.

Groaning, he tried to get up, but collapsed and laid still.

"End this now," Chase whispered from behind me. My mind screamed. Slowly, I advanced on Raimundo, clenching and unclenching my fists. Only a few feet from him, I closed my eyes and swallowed back my tears. Raising my hands, I desperately tried to stop myself from harming Rai any more. But it was of no use.

"_Fire!"_

But before I could release my element, I was knocked to the ground. A tall figure stood over me, blocking the red sky from my sight.

_Master Fung._

Instantly, I scrambled to my feet, ready to attack. Master Fung looked straight into my eyes and I could tell he knew what I was thinking.

"Do you really wish to fight me Kimiko?" he asked quietly. I stared back at him as Chase watched me intently. Darting my eyes quickly towards him, Chase nodded venomously.

I bit my lip and swung my foot out at Master Fung. He easily blocked it, and within a second, I felt myself land hard on the ground. Blinking, I jumped to my feet and aimed a couple of punches at him. He dodged and blocked them all easily; it didn't even seem like he moved at all.

Fire moving to my hands once again, I tried again and again to attack him. Master Fung moved more quickly in action than I had ever seen him before. And he wasn't going easy on me. This was a martial arts master fighting me, and even with my element, I wondered if I'd be able to keep up.

Master Fung moved his hands complicatedly in front of me. I didn't realize he was about to attack me until his hands connected into my jaw and chest. I flew to the ground roughly, my whole body stinging. My energy was fading.

I rolled out of the way swiftly as his arms came down where I had once been. Master Fung swung his leg at my head as I got shakily to my feet. It missed me by centimeters. Aiming my fire along the ground, I tried to attack him like I had to Chase earlier in training. But before I could even feel the warmth at my fingertips, Master Fung was right in front of me, speedily aiming punches and kicks right and left.

My eyes widened as I dodged and blocked as many as I could. My head swarm as more of my strength faded away. Suddenly, Master Fung was looming over me, his hands in a fighting stance.

The next thing I knew, I was skidding on the ground. He had thrown me backwards with so much force that I did a couple of back rolls against the coarse ground until I finally came to a stop.

I could barely breathe. My heart pounded so loudly in my chest that I couldn't hear anything but myself. My body ached everywhere as bruises and fresh cuts began to form. I tried to stand up, but collapsed, my body shaking.

I heard footsteps as someone approached me. Within a second, I was being brought to my feet. Chase gripped me in his arms as I swayed back in forth. _Don't make me fight again_, I silently begged him. _I can't take it._

As my vision went in and out of focus, I saw Master Fung walk calmly towards us.

"Chase Young," he said firmly, his voice threatening. "You have no business here. Leave at once."

Chase started to reply, but I couldn't hear. Everything began to blur as my mind and body throbbed with pain. Chase caught me in his arms as I slipped into darkness….


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 17**

My body ached; I knew that much. My head throbbed as a sharp, stinging pain stretched across my back. Groaning, I opened my eyes to see Chase Young and three large jungle cats staring down at me.

Gasping, I jumped up, but only succeeded in slipping, then falling onto the hard stone floor. My body hit the ground hard as more pain overcame me. I groaned again and opened my eyes.

I was lying on my back next to a bed, back in my room. Blinking heavily, I heard Chase's footsteps echo as he came around to my side. I swore I could hear him laughing. My heart pounding, I quickly forced myself to my feet as he walked calmly over to me.

"Sorry," I said quickly. Chase and his three cats advanced on me, and I felt myself back up to the corner of the room.

But then, a sharp bout of pain erupted along my back. Gasping in pain, I put a hand to my head and closed my eyes as I struggled to overcome it. Chase stopped and crossed his arms.

"Come here," he said to me quickly.

"I overslept. I'm ready to train now. I'll be there-" I pleaded uncertainly. I didn't know why I was defending myself, but as Chase stood with his three cats, I suddenly felt intimidated.

"Come," he said again. Slowly, I walked over to him.

"Turn around," he ordered. I did as I was told. We were right next to the mirror, and I watched as Chase examined my back. I couldn't see what he was doing, but suddenly, I felt his hands touch my skin. I jumped away, only to have him pull me back and place one hand firmly on my shoulder.

I tensed and closed my eyes as I felt his gloved hands on my suddenly bare back. His hands were warm, and as they moved along my back, I felt a small electric current running through me. The pain slowly disappeared from my back. Cringing from his touch, I bit my lip as my heart pounded faster and faster. _What was he doing?_

As fast as it had begun, Chase removed his hands, and I saw in the mirror that he was slightly sweating. Shifting my body, I saw that there was a long tear in the back of my robes. My skin looked somewhat bruised and a small bit of dried blood covered my back.

"What did you do?" I asked quietly.

"I healed you," Chase said coolly back. "Lay down."

"I'm fine," I answered quickly. "Well, now I am. I'm ready to train-"

"Lay down," he repeated.

"I don't need to. I'm fine-"

"Lay down," he commanded me once more.

"I'm f-" But I never finished. Chase picked me up and set me back on the bed. I instantly sat up, but he pushed me back down.

"You're not fine," he said smoothly. "You need to rest after yesterday."

I bit my lip.

"I was a fool to think that you could defeat the whole Xiaolin Temple. I pushed you too hard, and it was my imprudent thinking that got you injured."

I blinked in surprise. From the Chase I knew, it wasn't like him to actually be caring. Even so, I felt my stomach slowly sinking. Heat rushed to my face as I remembered the fight yesterday. I was ashamed of myself; both for harming my friends and not being able to completer Chase's orders. _I should have been able to defeat them_, a voice in my head said.

_But why would you want to?_

With a sinking feeling, I realized what Chase was trying to do. He had healed me once again, besides when I fell off Dojo. Now, not only was he making me stronger, he was trying to motivate me to have the will to completely close off my relationship with the Xiaolin side. Angrily, I took a deep breath, careful not to let him know what I was thinking.

"I'm making sure you stay here for the next couple of days," Chase said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts. "Even with my help, your body still isn't completely healed."

"What?! No!" I exclaimed, struggling to sit back up. I hated being idle. It was torture enough for me when I hurt my ankle, then kidnapped by Jack. Now someone else wanted me to stay still?

Chase pushed me back down to the bed, and this time, held me there. "You are of no use to me if you are weakened. Only for a day or two until you recover your strength."

He looked straight into my eyes as he pinned me against the bed and I suddenly felt cold inside. Chase had never looked as threatening and muscular as he did now. I felt even more intimidated, but I didn't know why. Immediately, I knew he had a second reason for why he wanted for me to rest.

My head began to throb even more and I winced as Chase looked me over. Noticing the pains throughout my head, Chase closed his eyes and put two fingers to my forehead. My heart beat faster. At once, his fingertips became warm and the pain began to fade away. Coming out of his concentration, he crossed his arms and stared expectantly down at me.

"Thank you," I whispered. My mind screamed. _He fought you, made you evil, made you hurt the other monks. And you tell him thank you?!_

"Rest," he ordered me, his cats' tails flicking impatiently. "I'll be back later. And," he said, his golden eyes taking hold of mine, "don't try anything. I'm leaving my cats to keep an eye on you."

I stared in horror as the three cats placed themselves on either side of me. They growled softly, daring me to even _try _to move. I glared back at Chase, who smiled smugly.

"This isn't necessary."

"Oh yes, it is. After what you tried yesterday with the Dragon of the Wind-"

"You heard?!" I exclaimed, my body growing numb.

"_Yes. _Though I am not worried. It would be unwise for them to try such a thing; the other Xiaolin Dragons would fail miserably. Every entrance to my lair is securely locked and guarded. Even if they did manage to get through somehow, they wouldn't make it past my warrior cats."

I felt sick again as Chase's words took effect. Instantly, I sat up and stared back at Chase. But before I could retort, he walked calmly to the door, nodding at the cats positioned around me.

I watched Chase; hope draining from me that I would ever be free of him. He turned to face me once more, raising an eyebrow.

"One more thing, little one," he said his golden eyes meeting mine. I looked away, not wanting to fall under his power. "It is not me who is taking control of you; it is yourself. You and only you are turning yourself to evil, and your mind and body has accepted it."

He turned and stalked from the room, closing the door behind him before I could react. I sat motionless on the bed, cold creeping throughout my body. _He lied,_ I told myself. _It's his essence turning you evil. But you're fighting it…_But I wasn't so sure of myself.

With a commanding growl from all three cats, I sank down back onto the bed. They watched me with large amber eyes, wondering why I was to bother them with my presence. Sighing, I stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what I could do to free myself.

* * *

I groaned and flipped back over onto my back. Laying my hands across my stomach, I quickly flickered my eyes towards the cats. They stood the same, watching me intently and softly growling. I would never get out of here.

Two hours had passed since Chase had left. I had done nothing but draw out numerous escape attempts, each of which would fail miserably if I attempted to carry them out. Banging my head against a pillow, I crossed my arms and tried to stay still.

Suddenly, a loud bang outside my door made me jump. I sat up and listened closely, the cats doing the same. I could barely hear Chase and someone else arguing, judging by the volume of their voices and considering I could hear them from my room. There was a loud growl, a high pitched scream, and then everything went quiet again.

I sat transfixed. It sounded like there was another male in Chase's lair. _Raimundo! Clay! Omi!_ Maybe they had somehow gotten inside. _But what about the scream?_ It didn't sound like them.

All of a sudden, there was a commotion in the hallway outside of my room. I could hear the thundering of paws as a lot of cats ran down the hall. A whimper.

Unexpectedly, the door to my room burst open. I jumped to my feet as someone struggled to shut the door and then latch it shut with a large bar. Out of breath, he turned around as the cats outside growled and slashed at the door.

_Jack Spicer._

Seeing the three snarling cats facing him, he screamed again and jumped over their heads. With a huge bound, he leapt onto the bed, taking me by surprise. Jack grabbed me by the waist and held me tight, nervously ducking behind me.

Annoyed, I tried to shake him off, but he wouldn't let go.

"Jack, what the hell are you doing here?" I gasped as he gripped me tighter.

"Make them stand down," he whimpered from behind me. Rolling my eyes, I faced the three snarling cats.

"Down," I said uncertainly. They didn't move; I wasn't surprised. Chase was the only one that could control them, and right now it looked like they were trying to control me.

The growling and slashing from behind the door got louder as the cats tried to force themselves in. Slowly, the three cats from around the bed advanced on us, one putting its paws on the bed and snarling ferociously at Jack.

"Stay back!" he warned. Instantly, he rearranged his grip on me so that my arms were pinned under his. I tried to get out of his grasp, but he was surprisingly strong.

"_Jack,"_ I hissed. "Get off of me!"

"Sorry Kimiko."

"What are you doing?!"

"Kidnapping you." I blinked as the cats came even closer.

"_What?!"_

His response was bringing out a small bottle of liquid, which I took for chloroform, or something like it. _Oh no you don't,_ I thought. Getting knocked seemed to be my weakness, as it had happened a ton of times between Jack and Chase. With what little movement I had, I kicked the bottle out of his hand; it bounced off the wall and shattered besides Chase's cats. Small fumes began to rise out of the liquid as all three cats gingerly smelt it. They collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"Kimiko!" whined Jack he released me. I jumped down from the bed, backing into the wall. "That was my last bottle!"

"Jack, what's going on?" I asked quickly. "Why are you here?"

"Wuya dumped me for Chase Young. She's always hanging out here, and never pays attention to me anymore. Neither does Chase! So, I thought if I could kidnap you again, then Chase would want you back and I could hold you for Shen Gong Wu or something. Negotiate," he added with a spurt of evil laughter.

I raised an eyebrow, choosing to not tell him that he'd probably not even get me out the door, let alone kidnap me. Chase's cats would tear him apart.

Shaking my head, the snarling and scratching at the door suddenly intensified. The door in its hinges cracked and groaned as the jungle cats were struggling to break it down. Jack and I went silent listening to the ominous growls. The cats almost had it open.

I opened my mouth as Jack wrapped his arms around me, one against my neck and one around my waist.

"Jack, what are you-"

"They'll eat me alive if I try to go out there!"

"…And?"

"They won't hurt me if I'm with you! So I'm holding you hostage until we get out."

"Jack-" I warned, and then stopped. _This could be my way out…If I help Jack –I don't want to say it- _kidnap_ me, then I could escape from him and go back to the Temple! I'm stronger now. I could just take him down now, but his stupidity might be my escape from Chase…_

Cringing, I let myself go limp in Jack's arms.

The door burst open.

Snarling cats filled the room us, their claws unsheathed. Their deep amber eyes narrowed on Jack and he gulped nervously. I rolled my eyes.

"Stay back!" warned Jack, his voice slightly wavering. "Stay back and I won't hurt her!"

The cats froze, eyeing him nervously. I couldn't see why they weren't tearing us apart, but from their expressions, I could see that Chase's cats were taking him seriously.

Jack halfway dragged me off the bed and onto the floor. The cats parted, their eyes narrowed and snarling but allowing him to go past. I wondered what Chase had told them; maybe they had been ordered to protect me.

Jack quickly ran me out the door, slamming the door shut and knocking in place the latch. Turning around, Jack let out a yelp as we were surrounded by more large cats.

"Get back!" yelled Jack. The cats surprisingly edged away from us slowly. Jack looked around nervously in both directions of the hallway, and then took off, running wildly. Letting go of my waist, he quickly grabbed my wrist and yanked me down the hallway. I ran as fast as I could, slightly pulling him in the right directions.

The cats were close behind us. I could hear them still growling as their massive feet pounded the floor. Chase's lair was utter chaos. Cats were running everywhere, snarling and glaring at us as we ran past. I could barely hear Chase barking out orders from somewhere.

Suddenly, a large jungle cat sprang at us from nowhere. Jack screamed as I jerked him out of the way of his barred teeth. Before the cat could pounce again, Jack turned on his Heli-pack as he swung me up into his arms.

I cringed as he flew faster through the air, making sharp turns as he tried to navigate. Holding me bridal-style.

_Ew_.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to block it out of my mind. Three minutes in the arms of Jack Spicer was worth my escape. _If I escape…_I seriously doubted it. But it was worth a try.

Things suddenly began to look familiar as Jack flew over more crowds of angry cats. They followed us as Jack jerked us around the stone hallways.

Abruptly, we entered the room with the stain glass windows. I quickly found Chase at the top of the large stair case above us. Cats surrounded him, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed. At the sound of Jack's Heli-pack, he spun around and met my gaze. His lips curved into an evil smile.

Everything happened so fast then.

All of a sudden, Jack crashed into an armor covered chest; Chase had moved so fast that I didn't even see him. My eyes closed automatically as Chase grabbed my wrist and yanked me out of Jack's arms. I didn't know what happened next, but I heard Jack scream. Chase had probably attacked him.

Cautiously, I opened my eyes to see that Chase and I were on the ground. I was clutching his arm tightly, but as I saw what I what I was doing, I let go and disgustedly pushed myself away from him. Practically leaping out of his armor-covered arms, I dropped to my knees. Jungle cats quickly surrounded us, cutting off any chance of me to run

Shakily I stood up, my heart slowly sinking. I didn't think it was possible for me to escape with Jack, but even so, it felt like I didn't have any hope left. _So that's it, _the evil voice inside my head said. _You're never getting out of here. You're a Heylin Dragon now. Chase owns you._

Angrily, I shook my head to try to escape those thoughts. As I looked over the sizable room, I saw that Jack was whimpering as even more cats surrounded him. _How many warriors has he defeated?_ I asked myself. There must have been hundreds of cats throughout his lair. _1500 years of defeated warriors…_

"Spicer, you pathetic excuse for evil. You have no right to be here. I should destroy you at once," Chase snarled.

Jack whimpered as faced Chase. "Don't hurt me!"

"_Don't do this,"_ I said quietly to Chase. He raised an eyebrow at me and turned back to Jack

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't let my cats tear you apart."

But Jack never responded. To the sides of both of us, the large door to the outside world suddenly swung open.

Three small figures stood in the opening, their faces covered by shadows.

"Chase Young," said the smallest, stepping into the light. "We have come to challenge you for Kimiko's freedom."


	17. Chapter 17

**((For those who have ever watched Naruto, Kimiko's attack is sort of like his Rasengan, except with fire.))**

**Chapter 18**

"No," said Chase, crossing his arms and glaring at them. Omi, Clay and Raimundo stepped forward, cats surrounding them on all sides.

My heart started pounding faster as Chase grabbed my wrist.

"Come, we have training to do," he said calmly, turning his back on the guys. Pulling me forward, he nodded to the cat by his side. Ferocious snarls filled the room as they moved in, ready to attack. Desperately, I looked wildly over my shoulder towards the other monks as we got farther away, and the cats became closer.

_So close,_ my mind was screaming. _So close to getting out of here. Do something!_ But what could I do? Out of loyalty, I had to stay with Chase.

He yanked me forward, gripping my wrist tightly as he got closer to the giant staircase. I looked up at him in surprise; Chase looked furious. I tried to turn around again to find them, but saw nothing but a sea of warrior cats. _What had happened?_

Suddenly, Raimundo, Clay and Omi landed right in front of us. Chase's grip tightened.

"Are you _scared_?" Raimundo asked, his voice deadly soft. "Scared that you might loose Kimiko?"

"No," Chase smirked. All circulation was cut off from my hand; I cringed.

"Then why won't you accept our showdown?"

He smirked again. "You're not worth fighting." With one quick movement of Chase's other arm, the guys flew off their feet and into a wall, cracks forming as stones dropped with them to the floor. A high pitched scream echoed throughout the room; apparently they had landed on Jack, forgotten in the midst of the confusion.

"Raimundo!" I screamed. "Clay! Omi!" I tried to run to them, to make sure that they were alright, but Chase held me fast.

"Those are no longer your comrades," he hissed into my ear. "They're now your enemy."

My heart pounded even faster as they struggled to get up. Chase nodded to the cats again, and suddenly Omi, Clay, Jack and Raimundo were surrounded.

"You're scared Chase!" Raimundo shouted again. "That's why you won't fight us. It's because you know we can beat you."

Chase stiffened as Raimundo's words struck home. My eyes widened at his bravery.

"That's why you always have cats to fight your battles for you," Raimundo continued. His face was twisted into an evil smirk, daring Chase, edging him on.

"Because you can't fight them yourself," ended Clay. "You're more scared than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs."

Something inside Chase snapped. Fire lit inside his eyes as he whipped around to face them. It was eerie how calm yet dangerous he looked at the same time. Silently, he walked back down the staircase, a malicious smirk on his face. I hesitantly followed.

Chase walked up to the circle of cats; they parted as he strode through. His eyes narrowed, he grabbed Raimundo by the front of his shirt and lifted them so that they were at eye level.

"_Listen worm,"_ Chase hissed, as Raimundo gasped for air. Omi came running to Rai's side, but was forcefully knocked backwards by Chase into the wall. "I could kill you right here and now with only a flick of my finger. You and these other Dragons are _nothing_ compared to me."

"Chase," I pleaded behind him. "Put Raimundo down." His grip tightened.

"_Kimi-"_ gasped Rai. He dropped to the floor as Chase released him. Turning back to me, he grabbed my wrist once again and yanked me away from the guys. The cats moved back in.

"What would it take for you fight us?" shouted Omi. He stepped forward, his enlarged ego practically radiating off him. Chase turned around again.

"There is nothing you could possibly offer me that would make this worthwhile."

"Our eternal loyalties," gasped Raimundo, standing up with the help of Clay. His eyes shone with determination. Chase raised an eyebrow.

"We fight you for Kimiko. We win, she comes with us. You win, we stay also. Eternally loyal to you."

I stared up at Chase, and then to Clay, Omi and Raimundo, full of horror. _They can't win against him, he's too strong. Chase'll kill them. And then…what will happen?_

Chase was thinking it over, I could tell. I looked over at Raimundo as he gave me a weak smile.

"Fine. I accept. But the showdown will be on my conditions."

"Hey, wait!" shouted Jack from behind us. He bravely made his way to where the other monks were standing. "I'm joining the showdown."

"_What?" _Omi said, confused. _"You?"_ Jack glared at him.

"Yes me, cue-ball! Kimiko was mine in the first place! I kidnapped her, fair and square. But then you took her away and then Chase took her, but she still should be mine!"

I blinked and stared at Jack. What was I, a pudding cup to him? _I'M NOT A POSSESSION! _I wanted to scream at all of them. Chase sighed.

"Fine worm, you may join. It makes no difference, anyhow." The feeling in the air around us suddenly stiffened as Chase's eyes darkened.

"The game is a race," he said calmly, glaring at them. "First one to get the Dragon of Fire and cross over will win. Winner takes all; I win, Kimiko is mine as is your freedom. You all will be eternally loyal to me. If one of you wins, Kimiko is yours. Nothing else."

"I don't want to swear my loyalty," Jack whimpered, but didn't stand down. "But then again, it is Chase Young…my evil hero…" he trailed off. I rolled my eyes.

"Let's go," Clay said, his eyes narrowing. Chase smirked.

"I'm not done yet. Only one of you may fight, but the result is the same. I win, you _all_ pledge your loyalty to me. And you must rely only on your martial arts skills; no Shen Gong Wu."

"I'll do it," Raimundo said determinedly before Omi or Clay could speak up. "I know I can."

"Do I get a say in this?" I asked quietly, somewhat annoyed; they were fighting over me after all. The situation was overwhelming, and I felt my heart speed up as my stomach caught in my throat. A feeling of dread was slowly creeping over me.

"_NO!"_ Chase, Jack and Rai yelled at me at the same time. They glared at each other, no one backing down. Even Jack looked unwavering. Chase smirked and took a step back, confidently looking at me; like he knew he was going to win. I scowled back at all of them

"Well, aren't I popular…" I muttered to myself.

"Let's do this." Jack said, now seeming more confident than before.

I found myself surrounded by Jack, Chase and Raimundo, each one of them with a hand on my shoulder. My skin began to slightly glow as the room started to spin. Widening my eyes, I didn't have time to say anything as the room disappeared in a flash of bright light.

It had begun.

* * *

I gasped and closed my eyes as the showdown transitions took place; I had never been good with them. A cold breeze whipped around my ankles as I felt myself rise higher and higher. Chase's lair was being transformed.

I took a deep breath, now determined_. I have to win this showdown,_ I told myself, even though I wasn't technically in it. _The fate of the world depends on it._

The transformation stopped as the air became quiet again. I cautiously opened my eyes to find that the stones of the floor had risen, just like when I fought Chase for my loyalty. I was standing at the top of the highest one, the ground looking extremely far away.

Before I could react, stone bars shot out from all around me. I yelped and jumped backward as they continued over my head; I was now totally locked in.

"GREAT," I mumbled to myself. "The fate of the world and the rest of my life rests in the hands of a teenage boy against one of the most powerful martial arts users in the history of mankind and I can't do anything to stop it. _Don't I get to fight?_!" I yelled down.

Sighing angrily, I let out a ball of flame at the stone bars and then kicked it furiously. Nothing happened. Only then did I recall Chase's words: _First one to get the Dragon of Fire and cross over will win._ I guess I was stuck here only one of them broke me out.

Groaning, I grasped the bars and looked down towards the ground where Jack, Raimundo and Chase were about to begin the showdown. Raimundo was in his blue armor, Spikes were on Chase's, and Jack- well, he was just Jack. Looking down at my own clothes, I realized that I was still in my Heylin robes. _What does this mean?_

All of a sudden, three voices echoed up through the many stone pillars.

"GONG YI TAMPI!"

I rushed over to the edge and looked out as far as I could to the ground. All three of them were jumping off pillars and getting up here as fast as they could; Jack on his Heli-pack, Raimundo using his element and Chase practically running up them.

I gulped; he was in the lead. Turning around, I took a deep breath and drew on my concentration. When Chase got up here, I had to be ready. This showdown, with Chase around, could last only a minute if I fell into his clutches. Putting my hands together, I summoned fire to the palms of my hand and slowly drew them apart. A bright red fiery orb appeared. I smiled; it was time to use Chase's own techniques that he taught me against him.

They were getting closer and closer. I readied the fire, it swirling perfectly on my palm. I couldn't help but watch it for a second; I had never been able to do this before. Suddenly, the air around me became too still. I looked up quickly to see Chase Young right in front of me.

Out of instinct, I screamed as his fist came crashing through the bars. Stone went flying everywhere. I blocked my face with my free hand as a chunk narrowly missed my head. Gasping and looking up, I found him standing only inches away from me.

"_Hello Kimiko,"_ he said smugly, an evil smile on his face. I glared at him and quickly put my plan into action. Within a second, I slid between his legs and got up behind him, thrusting the fire into his back before he could react. My hair blew backwards as the intense heat radiated in front of me and I narrowed my eyes.

Suddenly, my fire disappeared as did Chase. Gasping, I suddenly felt someone behind me. Whirling around wildly, I found myself face to face with Chase Young, his cold golden eyes only inches from mine and looking untouched. I involuntary shrieked out of reflex and jumped away, swinging my foot up at his head.

He easily caught it and within seconds, I suddenly felt myself being flipped upside down. I yelled again as he mercilessly swung me onto his shoulder and exited the rubble of what used to be my prison. He looked around just as Raimundo made it to the top. My eyes widened.

"RAI!" I screamed, just as Chase leapt off the rock. I could only watch in horror as we flew farther away, me kicking, screaming and desperately trying to catch his hair on fire, leaving Raimundo in our dust.

"Put me down!" I yelled. He had me in a death grip as I struggled to get off. I frantically looked over my shoulder to see the stone platform that was the end. Things weren't looking good.

Out of nowhere, Jack suddenly appeared in front of Chase. He skidded to a halt onto a stone as Jack bravely came forward.

"Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius!" he exclaimed proudly. I rolled my eyes. Chase sighed, exasperated.

"It's time to deal with you once and for all!" he snarled. I suddenly felt myself being tossed in the air by Chase. Frenetically trying to regain my balance in the air, I saw an annoyed Chase, his fist still curled by a pile of metal. Jackbot.

_Then where's…_Pale arms caught me as I prepared to land and get away. Looking up worriedly, I only had a second to see Jack before a blue shape came hurdling at us. Jack screamed as Raimundo crashed into him, ripping me away and landing with Raimundo.

I gasped and fell over at Raimundo's feet; the wind had been knocked out of me.

"Kimi, you alright?" he asked quickly, grabbing my arms and pulling me up.

"Yeah…just a little surprised," I gasped. We were standing on a larger stone pillar, the end still far away; I guess it wasn't as close as I thought it was. My heart pounding, I quickly concentrated on our surroundings, sensing the air. Something wasn't right.

Snapping open my eyes, I allowed Heylin energy to fill me, gathering fire into my hands. A flicker of movement caught my eye and I whirled around.

"Rai, watch out!" I yelled to him. Raimundo practically tackled me to the ground as Chase Young flew at us. Once on the ground, we rolled away from each other, trying to get back onto our feet.

Chase stood facing us, his evil smirk planted on his face. Raimundo slid protectively in front of me as he advanced.

"You're not getting near Kimiko," he warned, his eyes narrowed. Chase laughed and lunged at us. Raimundo was unprepared for his attack; I could tell. Rai frantically tried to dodge Chase's attacks as he speedily tried to get to me.

With one sweep of his hand, Raimundo went flying backwards into a wall. He dropped to his knees, gasping for air. I narrowed my eyes and went into a fighting stance as Chase advanced on me. My body was trembling; it was now or never.

"Fire!" I yelled, my hands blazing. I prepared to rush at Chase but was blocked suddenly by someone standing in front of me.

His blue robes were torn and he stood panting, his arms outstretched, preventing me from going any farther.

"Raimundo," I said in a low voice. "Step aside."

"No." The fire grew brighter.

"Rai, you don't know his strengths!"

"I'm in this showdown Kimi, _not you_. I won't let you get near him. If you try close combat he'll just capture you and get to the end. I can't let that happen."

"_I'm the only one who can fight him,"_ I whispered. "This is my battle."

"NO!" yelled Raimundo. He sprang at Chase, wind whipping all around him. Aiming countless attacks at Chase, I watched amazed as Chase blocked and dodged everyone. He was moving faster than I had ever seen before.

It was over in a matter of seconds. Raimundo collapsed on the stone just as Chase swung his leg. Crashing back into the wall, Rai fell to the stone and lay still. I narrowed my eyes.

Now it was my turn. I watched as Chase disappeared from my sight, only to have him breathing down my neck in an instant. Flipping around, I kicked Chase square in the chest and summoned my fire once again. Trying to punch him repeatedly, I aimed attacks at his head. He blocked every one.

Jumping over his head, I landed on the stone and pressed my palms to it. Fire sped along the cool surface and to where Chase was standing, engulfing him in flame. The fire died down as Chase appeared behind me, still untouched.

This time, I was ready. Swinging my leg up, I allowed him to easily grab it; spelling disaster for me if I didn't get the next move right. I brought up my other leg and swung it down hard onto his arm. Before he could react, I curled my free leg around his arm and swung upside down so that I was facing his chest.

Forming my orb of fire, I thrust it at him as hard as I could.

And then, silence.

Gasping, I looked up to see Chase smiling smugly at me.

"NO!" I screamed. Chase grabbed my legs and flipped me upside down, holding onto my ankles with one hand.

"Very well, Dragon of Fire," he said calmly, ignoring my desperate struggles to get free. Forming the orb again, I threw it at his legs, only to have him flip me again. My wrists landed in his outstretched palm, an iron grip forming around them. I sank to my knees as his other arm curled around me.

"We'll continue your training as soon as this is over. You have made great progress. But for now, since you can't be trusted…" A few seconds later, I flew into the wall and collapsed.

_Ow. _Tears automatically entered my eyes as I lay gasping for breath. _It's over._ I bit my lip, trying to fight through the pain and stand up. Chase bent down over me, ready to pick me up and finish the race.

"Get away from her Chase." Raimundo stood defiantly behind us, a look of determination on his face. Chase stood up and smiled.

Gasping, I rolled away from him and the wall and struggled to get to Raimundo. About halfway the pain overwhelmed me, and I fell to my knees. Raimundo had just taken a step forward to help me when Chase spoke.

"_No,_ leave her. Kimiko must decide what fate she chooses." My eyes widened as Raimundo froze.

"What destiny do you choose, Kimiko?" Chase asked. I looked around, confused. _What was he asking me?_ Shakily, I stood up and faced them.

"If you stay with me, you will possess power like you never have before," Chase said calmly, an evil glint in his eyes. "Power you will never have if you stay on the Xiaolin side. I can teach you great things, and advance your powers to that of no one will stand a chance against you."

"Kimiko come on!" yelled Rai. "Don't listen to him!"

My head throbbed with pain and I put a hand to my head.

"These Dragons are not your friends," Chase continued. "They only wish to surpass you. They think nothing of you but a weakling on their way to glory. After all, before I came to you did they not ignore you, leave you out, think of you as only a hindrance?"

"We're your friends Kimiko! You're _FRIENDS!_ Chase is lying to you; he only wants to use your powers for evil and himself!"

Pain shot through my head like a speeding bullet. _Stop it, stop it._

_They only think of you of a hindrance…power you will never have if you stay on the Xiaolin side…_

_We're your friends!_

…_nothing but a weakling…_

I cried out, putting my hands over my ears and shaking my head.

"Come to me Kimiko," Chase said. A direct order; I had to go. Slowly, I took one step forward, willing my body not to move. _Stop it…_

"Kimiko! Don't go to him! You're a Xiaolin Dragon; you're not supposed to be on the Heylin side!'

Another step.

"Come to me," Chase hissed, his eyes lit with an unrecognizable fire. I took another. Chase was only feet away.

"Kimiko! We're your friends; remember that!" I collapsed to the floor, my hands covering my head_. _

"_Stop it!"_ I screamed. Sobs shook my body as my body tried to move without my mind. _You can break this, don't go,_ I pleaded with myself_. Stop…_

_We're your friends…_

"Jack Spicer, at your service!" Without warning, I suddenly felt myself being picked up by someone. I furiously tried to punch them, only to have my hand stopped. My stomach lurched as I suddenly rose into the air. I whipped around and opened my eyes to see Jack Spicer, holding my bridal-style.

"Oh right. Parting gifts," Jack laughed evilly. He took out what looked like a weird gun and fired it at Chase and Rai. A gooey green net fired out at them, knocking them backwards and pinning them to the wall. I watched in horror as Raimundo struggled to get free.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," laughed Jack. I punched him on the jaw, but he still held on to me tight. He began to rise dangerously high, so that soon I couldn't get away from him without seriously hurting myself. My stomach began to lurch.

"See you losers!" he called out to Rai and Chase. Jack began to speed off towards the end of the showdown, clutching me perilously in his arms.

"PUT ME DOWN!" I screamed. I formed the orb again and quickly shoved it at him, lighting his trench coat on fire. Jack screamed high-pitched and dropped me, just like I thought he would.

I expected to land on the stone closest to me, trying to land the best way so I wasn't hurt. But before I was even halfway down, I smacked into a strong gust of wind. It lifted me up as I gulped to see Raimundo floating before me.

"Come on!" he yelled. Rai grabbed my hand and ran with me, the end stone looming closer and closer. Out of nowhere, Chase came flying at us, his eyes narrowed. I knew he wasn't messing around anymore. As he grabbed my wrist, I flipped around and kicked him so that he would grab my leg. As he did, I motioned to Raimundo.

Everything happened so fast then.

Rai hit Chase with a full blast of wind while he was preoccupied with me. Chase broke off, sending me spiraling backwards. Skidding backwards on a raised stone, my feet went over the edge just as someone from above grabbed my arms and hoisted me upwards.

_Jack_.

I looked down; we were hovering right over the end stone. _We both touch that stone and it's over, _I thought in horror. Quickly, I hoisted my feet up to my waist and tried not to touch it. Looking around wildly, I found Raimundo fighting Chase with all his might.

"Rai!" I shouted to him, trying to break free of Jack. He looked over at me along with Chase, his eyes full of horror and Chase's of determination.

Jack's grip broke and I fell onto the end stone, closing my eyes, just as three people tackled me at once. I was being pulled from all sides until I felt myself land hard into a pair of arms.

A cool breeze whipped around us. The showdown was over.

I was scared to open my eyes as it ended. My heart pounded in my chest as my head throbbed. Feeling sick, I waited till all the transformations stopped.

The pair of arms I was in felt hard. My heart sank as I realized who it was. An unwilling tear running down my cheek, I opened one eye and then the other.

It was…


	18. Epilouge

**Epilouge**

_Chase Young. _

I stared at him, my heart founding in my chest. _But he was facing me._ Gasping, I turned my head to see someone smiling at me. My heart leapt.

_Raimundo! _Grinning ecstatically, I leapt out of his arms, turned and nearly tackled him. Omi and Clay ran up to us from where they had been watching, yelling enthusiastically as I was squashed in the middle.

Something wasn't right though. I stepped away from the guys to see Chase standing a little bit behind us. My body moved automatically to him, even though I wasn't obligated to anymore. _I was free!_

"Chase," I said quietly. He turned to look at me, not looking angry or upset or anything. Just standing calmly, the tiniest hint of a smirk on his face.

"You may go." There was no emotion in his voice. I was about to reply when he put his hand on my shoulder and he forced me to look into his golden eyes. "You have great powers, remember that Dragon of Fire. Powers that can only be put to use on the Heylin side."

Suddenly, I felt weakness overcome my body. I fell backwards and would have crashed to the floor if Clay didn't catch me. Wisps of deep red smoke rose quickly from my body and into the air, collecting with more from Chase.

The large mass quickly separated into two orbs, one of bright light and one of dark red. Slowly, the white one entered my chest, restoring my strength and my essence. I sighed with relief as Chase looked at me darkly.

"_What did you do to Kimiko?"_ Omi demanded, brandishing the Eye of Dashi at Chase.

"Omi! NO!" I yelled. I leapt between him and Chase. "It's alright!"

"Leave now before I change my mind and let my cats tear you apart," a cool voice floated down from above us. Chase was standing at the top of the staircase, his arms crossed as he glared at us.

"Let's go," I said quietly. I walked towards the entrance to his lair with Omi, Clay and Raimundo, practically feeling like I could fly. But something deep inside me was weighing me down.

I turned around one last time to see Chase, evilly smirking at me like it was his plan to let me go. I nodded to him and exited through the doorway, hoping I would never again reenter. Bright light shone at the end, and as I got nearer, I saw that the sky was once again blue.

* * *

A purple ghost approached the man at the top of the marble steps, watching four retreating figures.

"That was it?! You let her go?"

"I merely wanted to test her capabilities. She has proven worthy for when the time arrives."

Wuya gazed at the small Japanese girl, dressed in red robes once again.

"The essence break between you wasn't fully complete. She still has some of your essence and hers in you."

"I am aware of that, Wuya."

"A spell that powerful should have completed the process once she was no longer under your control."

"And?"

"This means that you two are truly meant to be connected. This bond will never be broken."

His eyes flickered with an unrecognizable fire. Within a second, he jumped down to the floor and went through the doorway.

* * *

Dojo was waiting outside, full sized. I jumped on his back, glad to feel the uncomfortable scales.

"One, two, three four. Welcome back, Kimiko."

"Thanks Dojo." He took off flying higher and higher until I could see the peaceful looking Xiaolin Temple off in the distance. But something wasn't right. Slowly, I felt a flicker of Heylin energy flow throughout me.

I turned around slowly to see Chase at the mouth of the cave, a smug smirk on his face. Our eyes connected as gold met blue, and a strange feeling passed through me. As we stared, connected, everything suddenly dawned on me.

This couldn't have been the end. Chase wouldn't have given up that easily. There was something hidden behind his smirk that I couldn't see, something deep. Where ever I went from here on out, I knew that he would be watching. And I would be waiting. This wasn't the end.

It was only the beginning.

**_Fin_**

* * *

**Author's Final Notes-**

**Thank you so much for everyone who took the time to read Watching and Waiting all the way through! I am really proud that I finished my first fanfiction story EVER (even though it is a year after I started it). Yes, I did say I would finish it by the end of November (although submitting the last part on November 30 is a little close to the deadline). I never realized how much work writing one would be, and I think it has really helped my writing style. **

**I can really tell how much my writing has matured through this piece; I'm almost ashamed to read the first ten chapters because the sound so corny and awkward (to me at least). In the future, if I have time, I'll probably go back and either rewrite or edit them to fit. Now I'm really glad that I finished it, because I have 4 other fics I want to write now (I promised myself I wouldn't start something new till I finished WAW), 3 of which are XS related.**

**Now; for the sequel. I **_**do**_** have a plot laid out and the first chapter started IF I decide to do a sequel. It depends on how much feedback I get back after this chapter. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! I will not waste my time on a sequel if there isn't a great indication that I should. I didn't receive a lot of feedback after my last two chapters, so I don't know if WAW was beginning to fade or what… but PLEASE REVIEW! It will make my life a whole lot easier.**

**I almost hate to put these last words here because I don't want Watching and Waiting to end! But since I must, thank you to ALL the people who reviewed and read, taking their time and everything. These people in particular: Bewarethedarkness, Hanbags, I Collect Bananas, miniku, Chae Young's Daughter and Misery's Valentine; you guys reviewed almost every chapter and I thank you dearly!**

**Well, now its time for Watching and Waiting to finally come to an end. Once again, thank you to everyone for waiting patiently for this past year and 19 days (19 is my lucky number…and there are 19 chapters!). I'll miss it a lot, but theres always that chance for a sequel. Thanks guys!**

**Spiral-Fire **


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